Saint Lucia and Taiwan collaborate to host GCTF

Saint Lucia: A partnership between the Taiwanese and Saint Lucian governments has led to programs empowering women to post COVID-19. The collaboration culminated in the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) event.

The Republic of China (Taiwan) Embassy in Saint Lucia, the United States Embassy in Barbados/Eastern Caribbean, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States – OECS and the Saint Lucian government all co-hosted the event.

Taiwanese Ambassador to Saint Lucia, Peter Chen, detailed the history and purpose of the GCTF, “This was established by Taiwan’s and the US government in 2015 as a platform to utilize the strengths of Taiwan and expertise to address global issues of mutual concern. While enhancing Taiwan’s multi-lateral cooperation throughout the region and over the last seven years, the GCTF has held 49 international workshops on public health, law enforcement, cooperation, women’s empowerment, energy efficiency, e-commerce, cyber security, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and media literacy and over 4500 government officials, experts and civil societies from over 100 countries have participated in this event.”

This year, the event will be held from August 25 to 27 at the Harbour Club Hotel. Highlights of the event will be two-panel discussions. The first panel will discuss developments in the lives of women and girls during COVID-19, while the second will highlight the achievements of women empowerment projects implemented by Taiwan and its partners.

“After the pandemic, we recognized that women and girls are actually suffering the most because of the pandemic and also women and girls are the background of the recovery of the post-COVID-19 era, so this year, our emphasis is on women and economic empowerment. The event is being held under the theme Pursuing Inclusion and Gender-Equal Recovery: Empowering Women in the Post Pandemic Era and seeks to raise awareness of all the support for women in Latin America and the Caribbean,” it added.

To view the full interview with the Taiwanese Ambassador, tune in to the National Television Network on Monday, August 15, at 8 pm. The discussion will also be available on the Government of Saint Lucia’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.