President Ma Ying-jeou met on the evening of September 30 with a delegation from the United Way Worldwide (UWW) and the US-based Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) Foundation. On behalf of the government and people of the ROC, the president welcomed the visitors to Taiwan, and expressed hope that the government and private sector can collaborate to create a better social safety net.
In remarks, the president first noted that the members of this delegation had visited Beijing and Shanghai in mainland China before arriving in Taiwan, with the objective of taking a closer look at the UWW's operations in both locations. During their two-day visit to Taiwan, the delegation will meet and share experience with a wide variety of entities here, he said, expressing confidence that this would help the visitors better understand Taiwan and also enable them to compare the similarities and differences in the United Way organizations on either side of the Taiwan Strait.
President Ma commented that United Way International, which was founded in 1974, merged with the United Way of America in 2009 to form the UWW. The organization now has members in 45 countries the world over, and raises US$5.1 billion annually from 11 million donors. It also has a team of 2.5 million volunteers throughout the world, he said. The president described UWW as one of the best examples of an international non-governmental organization. In addition, he remarked, he deeply admires the MDRT representatives at the meeting, each of whom has donated over US$1 million to charity.
The president mentioned that the United Way of Taiwan (UWT) was founded in 1992, and in 1997 became a member of the UWW. Since its establishment, the local chapter has raised roughly NT$4.4 billion in donations, he pointed out. The chapter each year receives over 50,000 donations and cooperates with over 1,000 social welfare organizations, he said. The UWT appropriately distributes its funds in an effort to provide assistance to underprivileged groups, he commented.
President Ma remarked that he has been involved in the UWT for over 15 years and that he presently serves as the organization's honorary chairman. He said that he has been unable to participate in activities of the organization in recent years as much as he would like, as he has been busy with his duties as president. Nonetheless, he noted, he still closely monitors developments regarding the chapter here.
President Ma told the visitors that as Taiwan has become wealthier and its economy increasingly prosperous, the nation has transformed from an importer into an exporter of compassionate assistance. Two years ago following the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the government and people of Taiwan demonstrated their concern for their neighbors to the north by providing aggregate donations of about US$200 million. In addition, he pointed out, some 8% of Taiwan's population donates blood, which is the highest rate in the world. Furthermore, the people of Taiwan provide financial sponsorship to 230,000 underprivileged children overseas, which is equivalent to a world-record 1% of Taiwan's own population.
In mentioning Taiwan's social welfare policies, the president stated that starting from last year, the social welfare budget now accounts for the largest share of the central government's budgetary expenditures. Nonetheless, he said, the government has limited funds, and in the future will continue to cooperate with the UWW and other private groups to create an even better social safety net. The president also expressed hope that the delegation's visit will give further encouragement to members of the UWT, and will help to enhance mutual interaction and cooperation.
The delegation of 20-odd members was led by UWW President and CEO Brian Gallagher, and was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vanessa Yea-Ping Shih (史亞平) and UWT Chairman Edward Y. Way (魏永篤) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting were National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Jacob Chang (張大同) and Minister without Portfolio Joyce Yen Feng (馮燕).