“Alii [‘Hello’] and welcome to Palau!” To this warm greeting from President Surangel Whipps Jr., 40 Inter­national Youth Ambassadors visited the beautiful island nation, with its azure sea and blue skies, from August 27 to 31 of 2022. Through the Climate Change Youth Forum they acted as spokespersons for Taiwan and discussed Taiwan’s power to do good and its achievements in sustainable development, doing their part to support our nation’s diplomatic work.

Before the Youth Ambassadors left for Palau, Taiwan’s minister of foreign affairs, Jaushieh Joseph Wu, personally presented them with their credentials and encouraged them to be diligent in pursuing Taiwan’s diplomatic interests and continuing to deepen the friendship and diplomatic alliance between Taiwan and Palau.

The Climate Change Youth Forum stimulated intense follow-up discussions.(photo by Ho Chen-wei)

Our Ocean, Taiwan’s Devotion

The theme of the Youth Ambassadors’ visit was “Our Ocean, Taiwan’s Devotion.” The main event was the Climate Change Youth Forum, organized by Taiwan’s embassy in Palau. At the forum, young people from both countries delivered reports on various topics, including rising sea levels and water shortages caused by climate change, as well as sustainable development.

In her remarks at the forum, Constance H. Wang, director-­general of the Department of NGO International Affairs at Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), who led the Youth Ambassadors delegation, pointed out that climate change is an issue that faces the entire globe. Taiwan and Palau in particular, as island nations, are on the front lines of the impact of climate change. However, the two countries do not need to be simply victims of the adverse effects of climate change, but both can be change makers who take effective action.

Angel Chen, a sophomore at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU), presented a study at the forum on how Taiwan’s semiconductor industry accesses water resources during the dry season. She mentioned that the industry uses as much water in one year as all of Palau’s households use in ten. Yet this enormous demand is able to be met through a combination of strategies such as allocation and scheduling of water by the government, wastewater recycling, and water-saving improvements to production processes. Roy Yan, an MA student in the Graduate Institute of Translation and Interpretation at National Taiwan Normal University, presented a report on the problem of rising sea levels, which affects both Taiwan and Palau. The presentations by these two Youth Ambassadors not only sparked questions from the audience, including queries from members of Palau’s business community on topics related to energy transformation, such as Taiwan’s green energy industry, offshore wind power, and electric vehicles, but also prompted intense discussion after the forum.

Palau’s economy relies heavily on tourism, and Youth Ambassadors Ellia Hsieh, Vichy Tsai, and Jasmine Cheng shared Taiwan’s experience with the transformation of the fisheries and tourism industries in response to climate change. Ngiraibelas Tmetuchl, Palau’s minister of human resources, culture, tourism, and development, attended the entire forum, and he commented positively on the reports by Taiwan’s Youth Ambassadors. Besides pointing out problems, he said, they also proposed solutions, leaving a deep impression on listeners.

The island nation of Palau boasts beautiful ocean scenery.(photos by Ho Chen-wei)

Cultivating young people

After returning home, the Youth Ambassadors have continued to take an interest in issues related to environmental sustainability. For example, Youth Ambassadors formed a delegation to attend the EU–Taiwan Youth Climate Forum: Building a Greener Future, held in Taiwan in September.

Greatly inspired by activities of this kind, Angel Chen formed the ESG Sustainable Future Club at NYCU and, building on contacts she made at the EU–Taiwan forum, launched a series of dialogues and collaborations with energy businesses, the Taiwan Research Institute, and environment-related clubs and societies at schools such as National Taiwan University.

Implemented since 2009, the International Youth Ambassadors Exchange Program is the flagship youth empowerment program of MOFA’s Department of NGO International Affairs. It has already provided nearly 1,800 young people with training and experience in inter­national affairs. Constance Wang says: “Youth Ambassadors have the ability to engage in inter­national exchanges, and a feel for looking at things from a global perspective. By providing this kind of platform and opportunities, MOFA can broaden their perspectives and inspire them in choosing a direction for their future careers.”

Constance Wang (third from right), director-general of the Department of NGO International Affairs at Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led a group of Youth Ambassadors to Palau to engage in people-to-people diplomacy. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)

Performances at Taiwan Culture Night and at a night market. (photos by Ho Chen-wei)

Shared values deepen exchanges

Since the aim of their visit was interaction and exchange, as soon as the Youth Ambassadors arrived in Palau they went to a night market to stage a flash performance of dance, acrobatics and music, attracting the venue’s biggest crowds since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. During Taiwan Culture Night, organ­ized by the embassy, Youth Ambassadors also sang and danced, and Palauans from business, govern­ment, and academia, as well as community leaders, were invited to attend the show. The lively program and excellent performances demonstrated the enthusiasm, vitality, and artistic skills of young Taiwanese.

Interestingly, at the Taiwan Culture Night event Roy Yan sat next to David Orrukem, who was about to come to Taiwan as the new Palauan ambassador. Yan im­medi­ately recommended sights to see and places to eat in Taipei to Orrukem, so that he could quickly start to experience the authentic atmosphere of life in Taiwan upon taking up his post.

During their visit to Palau, the Youth Ambassadors also interacted with Palauan high-school students who are studying Chinese. Together they sang the Chinese-­language song “Hand in Hand,” and the Youth Ambassadors demonstrated how to use the diabolo, and performed dances and juggling routines. These students who might in the future go to Taiwan to study found it really cool that they could make friends from Taiwan right at home in Palau.

Visiting a senior citizens’ center in Palau.

Youth Ambassadors got a taste of overseas diplomatic work, carrying out their diplomatic duties conscientiously. (photo by Ho Chen-wei)

An accessible president

One of the high points of the visit was a meeting with President Surangel Whipps Jr. Originally scheduled to last only 30 minutes, it in fact went on for 90 minutes. Whipps emphasized that Taiwan has a successful history of economic development, that Taiwan and Palau share the values of democracy and freedom, and that the two countries need to help each other and stand together in the international community.

One highlight of the encounter was that Whipps took a selfie with every one of the Youth Ambassadors. Whether with groups or individuals, all the pictures were taken by the president himself with each student's mobile phone. Each time one of the 40 Youth Ambassadors struck a pose for their photo, Whipps, who stands over 180 centimeters tall, adopted the same pose. He could be called a selfie master, and he gave everyone the feeling that “the president is very accessible and genial.”

The Youth Ambassadors Program aims to “boost our diplomatic work and assist our embassies.” Constance Wang reveals that thanks to the vitality that the Youth Ambassadors bring with them, two of Taiwan’s embassies in other countries have already expressed a wish to invite them for visits in 2023. This is the aim for which the program was first established. Despite their youth, these young people can make a contribution to Taiwan’s diplomacy.

Palau’s president, Surangel S. Whipps Jr., is very accessible and genial. He said that the Youth Ambassadors were like his own children.