UN bid is more than just a dream

Lung-chu Chen

Joining the UN is essential if Taiwan is to become a normal state in the international community. It is also what Taiwanese wish for people at home and abroad.

The UN General Assembly's 59th session, which began yesterday, presents Taiwan with a new opportunity to win international support and launch its 12th attempt to win admission to the world body. In mid-August, Gambia and 14 other allies of Taiwan proposed a joint draft resolution concerning UN representation for Taiwan's 23 million people, demanding the bill be put on this year's UN General Assembly agenda.

This joint proposal stresses the UN principle of universal membership. It points out that UN Resolution 2758, passed in 1971, only solved the issue of China's right to representation, and does not address Taiwan's right to representation. It emphasizes that Taiwan (the Republic of China) is an independent, sovereign state, a peace-loving, dynamic and constructive democracy that abides by UN Charter obligations. Politically segregating or excluding Taiwan from the UN does great harm to both the Taiwanese people and the UN. Taiwan's participation in the world body, on the other hand, would benefit the country as well as regional and world peace.

Taiwan needs the UN and the UN needs Taiwan. Taiwan's admission to the UN would be tantamount to collective recognition of the country by the international community. It would have a very positive effect on Taiwan's national dignity, security, diplomacy and human rights. Interaction between Taiwan and China could also be normalized within the UN system, laying the foundation for mutual trust and cooperation.

Upon accession to the UN, Taiwan would actively contribute and share with other member countries its valuable experience in economic development and its transformation from an authoritarian regime to a liberal democracy.

The support we gain from our allies is precious. Our government has worked hard to cultivate these ties. Their appeals on behalf of Taiwan have become clearer, evolving from urging the UN to "study the participation of the Republic of China on Taiwan" to the current proposal asking for "UN representation for Taiwan's 23 million people." It is hoped that the closer cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government Information Office this year will produce international information campaigns leading to better results than in previous years.

Nevertheless, due to China's obstruction, our allies' proposals have thus far been rejected by the General Assembly's agenda-setting General Committee. The proposals have consequently never received the discussion and voting they deserve. Continued effort is needed to overcome this.

Although we still need our allies' support, the government should be more active. The government should use Article 4 of the UN Charter, which regulates admission of new members, and apply directly to the UN secretary-general for admission as a new member, emphasizing that Taiwan is a peace-loving country with the ability and willingness to obey the obligations outlined in the UN Charter. This active approach would highlight the fact that Taiwan is a sovereign state. Clearly expressing the country's will to become a UN member would make our international campaigning and diplomacy more effective -- a different approach from 12 years ago.

Two things need to be stressed. First, we should apply under the name "Taiwan," not "Republic of China (ROC)." UN Resolution 2758 ruled that the ROC has lost its legitimacy within the UN system. The use of the name "Taiwan" by our and foreign governments after our Olympic team won two gold medals at the Athens Olympics -- and the response from the Taiwanese people -- indicates that using the name "Taiwan" can get the country access to the international community, while the "ROC" cannot.

Second, Taiwan should apply for full UN membership, not observer status. Only nations can have UN membership, a permanent status, while an observer is not necessarily a country and it is only temporary. There is a drastic difference in the rights enjoyed by the two. Taiwan's accession to the UN must highlight its status as a sovereign state.

After an application is submitted to the UN secretary-general, the first problem will be the veto of the People's Republic of China (PRC) during the Security Council review. The council has five permanent and 10 non-permanent member states. Although Taiwan currently has no official diplomatic ties with any of these states, it should make every effort to win their support. The question of whether the other four permanent members, the UK, France, Russia and the US, will support, remain neutral to or oppose the Taiwanese membership bid will be crucial.

We should certainly try to avoid an overwhelming defeat, but we should also have the determination to give our all and cut all possible means of retreat. Applying to join the UN as a dignified, independent and sovereign state is certain to stimulate the Taiwanese people and improve the nation's international status.

The Taiwanese people seem to think that the government has been applying for UN membership every year for the past 12 years. In fact, the government has never submitted an application, for various reasons, and has relied solely on the joint proposals of diplomatic allies speaking on behalf of Taiwan. Taiwan will apply for UN membership as a country sooner or later, and the sooner, the better. Even if the UN does not approve the application, it would be a giant leap of bravery and resolve that would counter the current excessive caution and anxiety. Now is the time to call up our courage, confidence and determination and strive for a breakthrough.

Moreover, an application by Taiwan would complement our allies' joint proposal. It should also be coordinated with Taiwan's application to join the World Health Organization (WHO) as an official member state, instead of as an observer. The WHO has a very special characteristic: an application can be approved with the support of only half the member states of the World Health Assembly (WHA), rather than two-thirds, and unlike the UN Security Council, the WHO does not have a veto system, so China will be unable to shoot down the application.

Becoming a WHO member is as difficult as becoming an observer, because both require the support of at least half the members. But the rights of a member state and those of an observer are completely different. Only by becoming an official WHO member state can Taiwan participate in the world body's decision-making process, influence the establishment and implementation of global health policies and fully enjoy a member state's rights, while truly protecting the health and interests of the Taiwanese people.

Before the government submits a UN application, applying for WHO membership seems to be a good strategy. It would show concern for health and sanitation in Taiwan and the rest of the world, while also refuting the Chinese government's deceitful "one China" principle, thereby unambiguously declaring that Taiwan is a country separate from the PRC.

The annual frustrations following the long process of hard work that goes into the UN bid are disheartening. We should overcome this predictable frustration through healthy psychological preparation to be able to maintain our fighting spirit and determination in the long term. The government must work closely together with public and private organizations at home and abroad to make full use of the united strength of the government, industry and the public.

If we want to launch a serious attempt to bring Taiwan into the UN, we must possess strength of purpose and allocate more necessary resources and manpower to the task, while promoting Taiwan to the world's 191 countries through information and diplomacy. We must educate the international community and persuade every national government. Domestically, we must educate the public and persuade the relevant government officials and elected public representatives.

Apart from relying on diplomatic channels and advertising in major international media outlets to highlight the absurdity of the UN's refusal to allow Taiwan into the organization, we must also make good use of e-mail and Internet publications. These are tools that the government and people of Taiwan must use to highlight the injustice of Taiwan's exclusion from the UN.

I hope like-minded people will join hands and use Taiwan's superior information-technology resources to create a professional and comprehensive operation plan. Other measures, such as symposiums and seminars, should be extended to include the international community; while it is true that it is important to speak up domestically, but it is equally important to make the nation's voice heard internationally.

China is using every possible means to put pressure on Taiwan and our international living space. To end this situation, we must develop a flexible diplomacy involving all Taiwanese and uniting both international and domestic forces. "Global governance" based on democratization and civil society is a global trend. In response to this trend, a democratic Taiwan is entering the international community, displaying the strength of the nation's continually growing civil society to the international community and affirming that it is a democratic, free country that respects human rights. The public strength derived from these values transcends the threats posed by missiles.

Concrete actions taken by the Taiwanese people to promote access to the UN includes the movement to send Taiwanese soil to the UN, initiated by universities at the beginning of the year. In April, university students participated in a simulated UN university summit to develop channels for Taiwanese university students to participate in peripheral UN organizations. The wide range of contacts made at this summit was used to make future international leaders understand the injustice of China's oppression of Taiwan and the country's isolation from the international community, which make participation in the UN an impossibility.

Civil society is also doing its part. A delegation to promote Taiwan's UN bid, drawing members mostly from the Taiwan United Nations Alliance (TAIUNA, 台灣聯合國協進會) and the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, arrived in the US a few days ago. Today, they will join up with Taiwanese residing in the New York region to promote the membership bid in the square in front of the UN Headquarters.

Mobilizing Taiwanese expatriates around the world and effectively using their manpower and material strength in their countries of residence, as well as their knowledge, experience and contact networks, offer unlimited potential to create a powerful force promoting admission to the UN.

Nothing is impossible in this world. The UN membership bid is a national mass movement -- it is not an impossible dream. Gaining admission to the UN and the normalization of Taiwan's status are no more impossible than the democratization of the country has turned out to be. As long as the government, industry, civil society and overseas Taiwanese continue to work together, we will be able to realize our shared, beautiful dream.

Chen Lung-chu is the chairman of the Taiwan New Century Foundation, a senior researcher in law at Yale University and a law professor at New York University.