The 68th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) will be held in New York from March 11 to 22. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan), in cooperation with Taiwanese nongovernmental organizations, has arranged for Taiwan Gender Equality Week (TGEW) to be held in New York at the same time. The priority theme of CSW68 is “accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.” In response, TGEW will showcase Taiwan’s efforts to empower women and promote gender equality from a cultural perspective, as well as highlighting the ways in which women have broken traditional molds to lead industry innovation and economic development.
The Taiwan Main Stage and Cultural Night will be held at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York at 18:00 on March 13. This year’s Taiwan Main Stage forum will focus on promoting the financial resilience of women and girls. President of the Taiwan Academy of Banking and Finance Hank C. C. Huang will share success stories regarding public-private collaboration aimed at enhancing women’s economic power and participation in financial decision-making. Vice President of the International Federation of Women in Legal Careers Denise Scotto and former US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Kelley Currie will also take part in the forum, which will be livestreamed on MOFA’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Cultural Night will commence immediately after the forum. Representatives from prominent women-owned businesses, such as Yuanli Say Hi Home and Long Yuan Tea House, and General Secretary of the Young Women’s Christian Association of Taiwan in Pingtung Lin Chun-feng will guide guests in creating their very own cultural handicrafts. Through this cultural experience, participants will gain insight into how Taiwanese women have leveraged their deep-rooted cultural heritage to drive local economic revitalization and participatory decision-making, resulting in successful economic models.
The emblem of TGEW 2024 is a specially designed butterfly, symbolizing the growing innovation and resilience of women and conveying a positive image to the international community of women’s empowerment in Taiwan. And this year, four short TGEW videos entitled Taiwan for Her, Gender Equality, Equality Taiwan, and Women Power debuted to showcase the strides Taiwanese women have made in economic power and gender equality. The videos can be found on MOFA’s social media platforms, and everyone is encouraged to like and share them.
NGOs and local governments from Taiwan have organized 33 parallel events during this year’s NGO CSW Forum to share with the world Taiwan’s experiences and achievements in promoting women’s economic empowerment through education, policymaking, and social welfare programs.
Since 2020, MOFA and the Foundation for Women’s Rights Promotion and Development (FWRPD) have cohosted TGEW, leveraging Taiwan’s gender equality advantages to make Taiwan heard on the international stage. During TGEW, everyone is welcome to participate in the FWRPD’s gender equality activities on X at @WomensRightsTW and use hashtags such as #TaiwanforHer and #EqualityTaiwan to spread the word. And by following MOFA’s Facebook page and X account, together we can raise awareness about Taiwan’s gender equality achievements and call for global sustainable development through gender equality. For more information, visit https://www.tgew.org/. (E)
