On 05 September 2006, UNPO issued a letter to United Nations (UN) Secretary General Kofi Annan and Deputy Secretary General Mark Malloch Brown, urging the 61^st Session of the UN General Assembly to add to its agenda the question of Taiwan and representation at the UN. Below is an extract from the letter:

“The UN Charter states that the mission of the Organization is “to reaffirm faith in the fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women, and of nations, large and small.” This remarkable commitment to the principles of universality, for all nations and peoples, is at the core of the international system created by the establishment of the UN sixty years ago calling on “all other peace-loving states” to join the Organization.

In this respect the question regarding the participation and representation of the democratic State of Taiwan to the UN still remains unsolved and represents an unjust exclusion of Taiwan’s governmental agencies, civil society organisations as well as individuals in the activities of the UN and related bodies; de facto depriving the people of Taiwan of their fundamental right to benefit from and contribute to the duties of the UN.

UNPO is honoured to hereby bring to Your attention to the urgent necessity to withdraw the discrimination of Taiwan by the UN system and restore the right of Taiwan to a seat and full participation at the UN.

Considering the important role played by Taiwan in several international organisations, and notably the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the full diplomatic relations with 23 UN Member States, including 120 embassies, general consulates and representative offices worldwide, clearly demonstrates that Taiwan is an effective, democratic and dynamic sovereign state.

UNPO would hereby kindly request Your support for the inclusion in the Agenda of the Sixty-first Session of the General Assembly (GA) a supplementary item proposed entitled “Question of Representation and Participation of the 23 Million People of Taiwan in the UN”. UNPO is furthermore pleased to advocate Your support for the inclusion in the agenda of the Sixty-first Session of the GA a further supplementary item entitled “A Proactive Role for the United Nations in Maintaining Peace and Security in East Asia” that should be considered under the heading “Maintenance of International Peace and Security”.

Taiwan’s long-standing commitment to the UN principles, UN Charter, international law and substantive cooperation within the International Community warrants substantial consideration by the UN Member States. UNPO considers the time ripe to call for justice and equal rights and to end the conventio ad exludendum of Taiwan and its people from the United Nations.”