The International Conference on a Sustainable Taiwan—Accelerating the Localization of U.N. Sustainable Development Goals concluded June 5 in Taipei City, spotlighting government efforts to promote green practices and solutions at home and abroad.
Organized by the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Agency, the one-day event drew more than 400 attendees from countries and territories including Canada, Japan and the U.S. Discussions spanned topics like practical measures for implementing the SDGs, progress evaluation methodologies, and mechanisms for achieving social consensus.
Keynote speakers and moderators included Kuo Fei-yu, deputy minister of the Cabinet-level National Development Council; Claudia Buentjen, principal public management specialist at the Asian Development Bank; and Yanis Ben Amor, executive director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University.
Speaking at the opening of the event, EPA Minister Chang Tzi-chin said that the government’s commitment to advancing sustainable development is evidenced by the launch of the Taiwan SDGs last December. Drafted by an interministerial body headed by the premier, these comprise 138 domestic targets in line with the U.N. goals, he added.
According to Chang, Taiwan has made considerable progress in SDG implementation across such areas as universal health care, education and recycling. Sharing experiences and best practices is key to realizing further progress and it is hoped that the forum will help deepen regional collaboration in these areas, he said.
On the sidelines of the symposium, the EPA also organized an exhibition showcasing the 19 winners of the National Sustainable Development Awards in 2017 and 2018. The honors highlight initiatives by state agencies, educational institutions, nongovernmental organizations and private businesses to perpetuate a culture of sustainability.
Winners highlighted in the exhibition include an eco-education program by New Taipei City-based Micang Elementary School and an environmental protection project for Chenglong Wetlands in western Taiwan’s Yunlin County devised by the Forestry Bureau under Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture.
Adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 2015, the SDGs are intended to end poverty, protect the environment and safeguard peace and prosperity around the world. The 17 goals comprise 169 targets in such fields as clean water and sanitation, climate change, gender equality, global hunger, poverty and sustainable cities. (CPY-E)
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