To record the important historical facts about the progress of Taiwan’s supervisory system and human rights, the Control Yuan (CY) last year issued the CY 90th Anniversary Special Issue. After almost a year of effort, the English edition of the Special Issue was finally launched on August 9, 2022, in a demonstration of the CY’s ongoing commitment to working with the international community.
In her speech, CY President Chu CHEN said that with the changes of the times and the development of democracy and human rights in Taiwan, the CY must keep pace with the times in the face of emerging social and public issues, from clarifying the rule of officials and rectifying official discipline to actively overseeing the government, promoting good governance, and protecting human rights. President Chen also thanked the CY members and staff for their hard work observing the pulse of the society and listening to the voices of the people, taking into account human rights during anti-pandemic efforts, safeguarding local and international labor rights, promoting children’s rights, strengthening public safety, and taking petitions from the public.
In addition, President Chen added that, in order to work toward transparency, the CY has revised the regulations and established a new disciplinary and retrial system to further reinforce the protection of human rights. The 6th CY members has reached a consensus to go beyond the stated legal requirement and move towards innovation and openness. For example, from August 1, a new system has been put in place by which the name list of leave and recusals from the censure or impeachment review committees will be announced online. So far there has been one case available for public reviewing on the CY website. Furthermore, the members of the 6th CY have reached a consensus that the number of investigators for each case should be streamlined to a maximum of three, except for the investigations and study of general cases. Looking ahead, the CY will take suggestions from all parties and improve itself in all regards to assist the normal development of the country and promote good governance.
President Chen stated that as the CY and NHRC have become more connected with the world, we have had more international exchanges. The release of the English edition of the 90th Anniversary Special Issue will be invaluable in boosting the CY’s international visibility and help the world understand Taiwan’s supervisory system and the efforts the nation is making to protect human rights. President Chen also thanked Secretary-General Judy, Fu-meei JU and the editorial team for compiling and publishing the English special issue.
President Chen emphasized that under the name of the Republic of China, the CY has become a voting member of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) since 1994. For many years, the CY has maintained friendship with the IOI Executive Committee and its key members and gained the recognition and support from the IOI member states. She added that in 2019, the CY hosted the 31th Australasian and Pacific Ombudsman Region (APOR) Conference and the workshop on human rights protection, which has expanded the international exchange with the ombudsman and human rights community. The CY also aims to host the APOR Conference in 2025 or 2026 to both promote international exchanges and cooperation and to show the world Taiwan is a committed global partner in the fight for democracy and human rights.
At the beginning of the press conference, Secretary-General Ju stated that as a voting member of the International Ombudsman Institute, the CY has always fulfilled its membership obligations and actively participated in international exchanges and cooperation. In the two-plus years since President Chen took office, and despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CY has continued to cultivate international friendships, participate in international conferences on supervisory and human rights work by videoconference, and receive diplomatic envoys and other important international guests to Taiwan.
Shortly after the publication of 90th Anniversary Special Issue last year, President Chen instructed that the special issue should be translated into English. The goal of this was to further international exchange and help boost awareness abroad of Taiwan’s processes and accomplishments in advancing supervisory mechanisms and human rights, promoting clean governance, and expanding international cooperation.
Secretary-General Ju noted that the editorial team added further important business and activities recently launched by the CY to the English edition, as well as refining the layout and design. Taking a frugal approach, only a small number of hardcopy editions have been printed for archival purposes. It was digitized and uploaded to the Internet, reducing paper usage and associated carbon emissions, thus helping protect the environment. In the post-pandemic era, the CY will anticipate more frequent international exchanges, built on this solid foundation, helping countries around the world better understand Taiwan’s supervisory organ, its operations, and the current status of human rights protection efforts. Under the leadership of President Chen, the CY will continue to improve in its various endeavors, reaching out to the world while remaining firmly rooted in Taiwan.
The press conference featured a special video that brought together the accomplishments and prospects of the 6th CY’s members over the past two years. At the launch event, President Chen opened the cover of a special large edition of the English Special Issue. The ceremonial stage was decorated with slogans celebrating “Follow the Past and Herald the Future” and “Link with the World,” and the CY members in attendance collectively held other slogans, symbolizing the CY’s determination to move forward with its head held high, to actively participate in the international ombudsman community, and to strive to host the APOR Conference.