From April 26 to 30, the Control Yuan (CY) held the 2014 Staff Exchange Program with the ombudsman/human rights offices of the Asian-Pacific and African countries. The program was joined by six participants from Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Swaziland and Vietnam, who had just finished the three-week National Development Course (NDC) held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the program, the participants were briefed on CY powers and the respective departmental day-to-day work. They also toured the National Audit Office and the CY Complaint Receipt Center.
A two-day cultural tour was also included in this year’s program. The participants visited several historical sites in Taipei, including the Dalongdong Baoan Temple, Confucius Temple and Beitou Hot Spring Museum.
At the closing ceremony, many participants affirmed the CY’s role as defender of human rights and good governance. They also promised to bring what they had learned back to their home countries for their governments’ reference. The participant from Swaziland, Ms. Dorcas, also suggested that the CY program be included in the NDC project so that all of its course participants could join it.
In his closing remarks, CY Member and chairperson of the international affairs committee, Dr. Louis R. Chao, thanked the participants for their enthusiasm and constructive feedback. He said that, ‘Although the program is over, the friendship has just begun.’ It is his hope that the connections between the offices and countries could be established and strengthened. The five-day program closed with a song performance by the two Fijian participants in appreciation of the CY’s hospitality.