President Tsai attends Regional Religious Freedom Forum
On the morning of August 30, President Tsai Ing-wen attended the opening ceremony of the 2022 Regional Religious Freedom Forum – An Indo-Pacific Civil Society Dialogue on Religious Freedom in Challenging Times. President Tsai said that religious freedom is a universal human right, and that Taiwan is committed to advancing religious freedom at home and abroad, as we aim to provide a model of inclusiveness for the Indo-Pacific region. She also stated that in the Indo-Pacific, NGOs and civil society have been key to defending and expanding religious freedom. The president expressed hope that through this forum, we may strengthen the values of mutual respect and tolerance, while advancing freedom and human rights in Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific.
A transcript of President Tsai's remarks follows:
I am very pleased to welcome you all to the 2022 Regional Religious Freedom Forum. After two years fighting the pandemic, we are delighted to be hosting this event again. I would like to thank the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD), with assistance from our foreign ministry and AIT (American Institute in Taiwan), for organizing this event. I also would like to offer a special welcome to our keynote speaker, Chair Nury Turkel of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Mr. Turkel has worked for over two decades in the field of human rights, and has devoted himself to speaking up for victims of religious persecution, including the Uyghur people. In these challenging times, it is inspiring to join Mr. Turkel and civil society representatives from around the world to discuss freedom, human rights, and equality. These are values we in Taiwan deeply treasure.
Religious freedom is a universal human right. But in recent years, we have seen authoritarian regimes repress this fundamental freedom on an ever-greater scale. Taiwan knows what it means to stand on the frontlines of authoritarian aggression, and we are deeply committed to advancing religious freedom at home and abroad, including by supporting those who cannot exercise that fundamental right.
With our work to protect and advance religious freedom in Taiwan, we aim to provide a model of inclusiveness for the broader Indo-Pacific region. As we welcome people from different backgrounds to our shores, Taiwanese society is learning to embrace differences and appreciate diversity. And we are particularly proud that Taiwan was recently recognized as an inclusive destination for Muslim travelers.
Taiwan is also contributing to international efforts to promote and protect religious freedom. We continue to donate to the US State Department's International Religious Freedom Fund to provide assistance to people facing religious persecution around the world. In addition, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy has been serving as one of the expert advisors for the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance for the past three years. And this year, Taiwan became an observer of this alliance, which works to protect religious minorities and fight religious discrimination.
Through this forum, we hope to build on these collective efforts and jointly explore effective approaches to defending religious freedom. Our vision is to create a world where no one is persecuted because of their beliefs, traditions, or religious identity. We believe that countries can thrive and prosper by embracing diversity and allowing different ideas and beliefs to coexist.
We don't have to look far to see how democracy and diversity go hand in hand. As a democracy, Taiwan recognizes the importance of protecting diversity and collaborating with civil society to make sure that we do not lose sight of our conviction.
In the Indo-Pacific, NGOs and civil society have been key to defending and expanding religious freedom. Governments in the region rely on the dedication and passionate social engagement of civil society organizations to spur greater religious freedom. And we encourage everyone to work together with us to advance freedom and human rights in Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific at large.
Let us use this forum as an opportunity to renew our commitment to this important work, and to strengthen the values of mutual respect and tolerance among all people. I would like to again extend a warm welcome to all participants. I hope that you find these two days of discussions richly rewarding. And I wish you all a productive and enjoyable forum. Thank you!
Among those present at the ceremony were Legislative Yuan President and TFD Chairman You Si-kun (游錫堃), Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉), Academia Sinica President James C. Liao (廖俊智), AIT Taipei Office Director Sandra Oudkirk, and members of the foreign diplomatic corps in Taiwan.