Taipei: Officials from 11 of Taiwan's 12 diplomatic allies are taking part in a three-day workshop in Taipei aimed at strengthening cooperation on carbon credits and boosting participation in international carbon markets, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday. The event, titled "Co-Carbon Compass Workshop: Carbon Credit Collaboration and Capacity Building," officially opened Monday at MOFA's Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs.
According to Focus Taiwan, participants include Anita Montoute, Saint Lucia's permanent secretary in the Department of Sustainable Development, and Jos© Antonio L³pez Leonardo, Guatemala's vice minister of rural economic development. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Foreign Minister Fran§ois Wu highlighted Taiwan's commitment to working with its diplomatic allies to enhance their capabilities and resilience in engaging with international carbon markets. Wu expressed hope that the event would foster a shared understanding and expertise essential for advancing future bilateral and multilateral collaboration on carbon credits and emissions reduction.
The workshop is jointly organized by MOFA and the government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), established in 1973 to bolster Taiwan's industrial research and development capabilities. According to MOFA, experts from Taiwan and overseas are delivering lectures on topics including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement.
During their visit, participants will also tour ITRI, the Ministry of Environment, and the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), which is Taiwan's official foreign aid agency. Taiwan currently maintains diplomatic relations with 12 countries, including three in the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Palau, Tuvalu) and seven in the Caribbean and Latin America (Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Paraguay). The others are Eswatini in Africa and the Vatican, the only ally not represented at the workshop.