Legislative Yuan Vice President Chiang Hosts CEDAW International Review Committee: Long-Term Commitment to Gender Equality

Central News Agency reporter Wang Cheng-chung, Taipei, July 17

Legislative Yuan Vice President Chiang Chih-chien hosted the International Review Committee of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) at a luncheon today. Chiang stated that the Legislative Yuan has long promoted gender equality through concrete legislative actions and will continue to improve legal frameworks for equality in the future.

Accompanied by Kuomintang Legislator Hsu Yu-chen, Taiwan People's Party Legislator Tsai Chun-chou, and Legislative Yuan Gender Equality Committee Member Chin Chi-fang, Vice President Chiang welcomed the CEDAW International Review Committee. Lin Chiu-chun, Director of the Executive Yuan's Gender Equality Department, also attended.

Chiang expressed his sincere welcome to the CEDAW International Review Committee for their first visit to the Legislative Yuan. He highlighted that the Legislative Yuan has consistently advanced gender equality through actual legislation and noted that Taiwan domesticated the CEDAW treaty over a decade ago. The 'Local Government Act,' passed by the Legislative Yuan in 2025, ensures political participation rights for all genders through institutional design, demonstrating Taiwan's ongoing commitment to this issue.

Chiang added that the Legislative Yuan will continue to refine its legal framework for equality and hopes to gain valuable insights from this exchange while establishing long-term cooperation with international gender equality experts.

The Legislative Yuan reported that Committee Chair Ms. Esther Eghobamien-Mshelia commended the bilateral economic and trade development between Taiwan and her home country, Nigeria. She also praised Taiwan's independent review mechanism as a model emulated by other nations and lauded the 42.5% proportion of female legislators in the Legislative Yuan, noting that Taiwan is progressing toward CEDAW's latest '50/50 gender equality' benchmark.

During the bilateral exchange, Tsai Chun-chou emphasized her long-standing dedication to advancing gender equality, particularly women athletes' rights, and pledged to further protect women's rights through legal reforms, hoping to continue collaborating with the review committee.

Hsu Yu-chen expressed hope for sustained cooperation to ensure continuous improvement and refinement of Taiwan's gender equality and human rights protection efforts.

The two sides then engaged in extensive and in-depth discussions on issues such as women's participation in ancestral trusts, women athletes' rights, the design of the National Human Rights Commission, and equality mechanisms. The atmosphere was warm and cordial, and the 90-minute luncheon concluded successfully with a group photo. (Edited by Chai Szu-chia) 1150717