Taiwan’s Representative to the United States, Ambassador Stanley Kao, was invited to attend the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS at the U.S. Department of State, hosted by Secretary Michael Pompeo, on February 6th, 2019. President Donald J. Trump personally addressed the Coalition’s members at the Ministerial, underscoring the importance of the Coalition’s efforts.
Ambassador Kao reaffirmed that Taiwan will continue its close cooperation with the U.S. and other like-minded countries to address global and regional challenges. He reiterated that Taiwan will continue to assist with the Coalition’s stabilization and other efforts towards countries victimized by ISIS and announced a donation of $500,000 on behalf of the government of Taiwan, to assist with the Coalition’s humanitarian assistance efforts in Iraq. Taiwan’s contribution was recognized during the Ministerial by Ambassador James Jeffrey, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, and other senior State Department officials.
Ambassador Kao stated that the $500,000 donation will be used to support “Nadia’s Initiative”, an international NGO dedicated to assisting the Yazidi people of Iraq that suffered genocide and religious persecution at the hands of ISIS. The founder of the organization and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Nadia Murad, is a leading advocate for fellow survivors of genocide and sexual violence. Nadia’s Initiative has received international recognition and support from the United States, France, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, and others. During the Ministerial, Ms. Murad was honored by U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and personally conveyed her appreciation towards Taiwan’s contribution to Ambassador Kao.
Taiwan has been a member of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS since October, 2014. The Coalition currently has 79 members. As a member of the Coalition and a reliable partner of the international community, Taiwan’s government and NGOs have provided over $32 million in cash and in-kind humanitarian assistance to ISIS refugees in countries such as Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Turkey in recent years. For example, Taiwan donated 350 temporary housing units and a mobile hospital, as well as funds and equipment for de-mining operations, which helped stabilize the local environment, alleviate a looming refugee crisis, and lower the risk of ISIS reemerging.
