We live in a good world, with good people in it. The human race has shown time and again that a spirit of compassion and love can overcome adversity, fear, injustice, and aggression. Natural disasters, famines, disease, conflict, terrorism, and tyranny do their worst, but this indomitable spirit marches on, manifesting itself every day around the globe.
Though we are just seven years into the new millennium, we have already seen humanity meet many tragedies with a great outpouring of support that has saved and transformed countless lives. Perhaps the most striking example of this came at the close of 2004, when an underwater earthquake caused a tsunami, killing people in nations from Indonesia to South Africa. In the wake of the devastation, the world opened its heart, rushing supplies, medical personnel, and financial aid to the region to help people rebuild their lives. Nearly $7 billion has been pledged by people from every nation and all walks of life to help these nations rebuild.
Almost a year prior to that catastrophe, an earthquake in Iran leveled the city of Bam, causing nearly 80,000 casualties. Nations across the world — including states not on the best of terms with Iran — rushed supplies and search-and-rescue teams to the area, saving countless lives.
Relatively well-off nations have, in their turn, also been the recipients of humanitarian assistance and spiritual support. After Hurricane Katrina laid waste to New Orleans in the United States in 2005, challenging the ability of the world’s sole superpower to bounce back, charity on a global scale was again the order of the day.
In September of 1999, an earthquake devastated central Taiwan, killing over 2,000 and doing billions of dollars in damage. Rushing to the scene were rescue teams from all nations. Relief aid also flowed from around the world to quake victims, and the people of Taiwan have not forgotten.
The government, organizations, and people of Taiwan are always among the first to respond to a disaster. Showing solidarity with the tsunami victims, Taiwan was the eighth-highest donor of cash and supplies, with over half of Taiwan’s 23 million people making a contribution; volunteers from the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation rushed to Iran to help rebuild schools and distribute donated food, medicine, and supplies; and millions of dollars in cash and goods were donated to people in the United States by the people of Taiwan, who remember clearly the aid provided to them just a generation ago by the American people.
The human spirit knows not only how to recover, but also how to build. The continued integration of the states of Europe testifies to this, as people divided by language, culture, and historical interpretation have joined together under the banner of the European Union, adopting a single currency and working to integrate on all fronts.
Meanwhile, we have seen freedom spread in the past few years as oppressed people in the Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Lebanon have thrown off the shackles that bound them in the so-called color revolutions. As they moved to reify US President Woodrow Wilson’s vision of self-determination, these people’s success depended a great deal on the support offered them by the community of democracies, as does that of all peoples determined to fight for freedom and human rights.
The world faces another challenge today. Of the nearly 200 countries in the world, Taiwan is the only one denied a seat in the United Nations (UN). China, which makes unfounded claims to our nation’s territory, has pressured the UN to ignore the tenets of its own Charter, which calls for granting membership to all peace-loving states. I want to challenge all to support Taiwan’s membership in the UN. This is not a political act. It goes beyond party, race, creed, and every other distinction. It is a human act in defense of equality and human dignity.
In seeking UN membership, we are not asking the world for a favor. We are challenging it to return to the spirit of unity embodied in its charter, to stand behind the oft-quoted principle that we are all created equal, and to realize that we are all in this together. You, as a reader, have the power to help make this happen. Show your true colors. The people of Taiwan are counting on you.
Taiwan is entitled to UN membership. It has a population of 23 million, and a democratically elected government with jurisdiction over the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. It also maintains diplomatic ties with 23 UN members and one observer. Since Taiwan has all the qualifications (a permanent population, a defined territory, government, capacity to enter relations with the other states) for a sovereign state as laid out in the “Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States,” it has the right to apply for full UN membership as per Article 4 of the UN Charter.
Membership universality is one of the fundamental principles of the United Nations. As the preamble of the UN Charter stresses the principle of equal rights for all, Taiwan’s 23 million people clearly have the right to participate on an equal footing in UN affairs. Moreover, Taiwan currently ranks as the world’s 18th largest economy, the 16th largest trading nation and stands as one of the top 20 sources of foreign investment. Taiwan’s democratic achievements are also recognized worldwide, and can serve as a model for developing countries. There is no doubt that Taiwan has become an important player in the international community. In this era of globalization, when all countries highly depend on each other, the United Nations, as the most important forum dealing with global issues, should accept Taiwan as a full member in order to avoid creating a weak link in the global collaborative network.
