Andrea Giorgetta, Director of the Asia Desk of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), visited the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) yesterday (February 20) together with representatives from FIDH's Taiwan-based member organizations, including the Taiwan Association for Human Rights and the Covenants Watch. Discussions focused on how authoritarian regimes around the world have increasingly coordinated across borders to suppress dissent and restrict fundamental freedoms and human rights, as well as how Taiwan can further strengthen its open and democratic environment and provide support to human rights defenders throughout the region. Having learned of the substantial reductions to the NHRC's annual budget, Director Giorgetta expressed FIDH's willingness, together with its partners, to provide professional assistance free of charge in support of the Commission's key initiatives.
On behalf of NHRC Chairperson Chen Chu, Vice Chairperson Wang Yu-ling thanked Director Giorgetta for his longstanding commitment to Taiwan's human rights development. She expressed particular appreciation for FIDH's decision to hold its international congress in Taipei in 2019—the first time in the organization's history that its global assembly was convened in Asia. According to Wang, this decision reflected the international community's strong expectation that Taiwan can play a leadership role in advancing human rights across Asia. She also recalled that since the establishment of the NHRC, FIDH has actively supported the Commission's international engagement. FIDH facilitated visits by NHRC delegations to Paris, where they exchanged views with French civil society organizations on Taiwan's human rights developments and challenges, and it also participated in the International Conference on Climate Change and Human Rights organized by the NHRC in 2023.
Director Giorgetta expressed deep regret regarding the severe budget cuts facing the NHRC. He explained that one of the primary purposes of his visit was to convey that FIDH, together with its Taiwan-based member organizations such as the Taiwan Association for Human Rights and the Covenants Watch, stands ready to pool its expertise, experience, and resources to assist the NHRC in carrying out its key work during this period of significant resource constraints.
Vice Chairperson Wang noted that the NHRC had been invited to participate as an observer in the annual meetings of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF) over the past two years. Through increasing engagement with APF members, the NHRC has become acutely aware of the deterioration of human rights conditions across parts of Asia and the growing restrictions imposed on civic space in many countries. She further explained that through a series of recent international exchanges, the NHRC has been actively learning about practical mechanisms for supporting human rights defenders and considering how Taiwan might contribute more meaningfully to the advancement of human rights internationally.
Wang also highlighted the upcoming RightsCon conference in Taipei. She noted that on March 24, the NHRC would co-host a side workshop with the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHRP) to discuss issues including digital threats faced by human rights defenders in the Philippines. The event aims to help Taiwanese society gain a deeper understanding of the real challenges confronting human rights defenders in neighboring countries.
Representatives of participating organizations—including Secretary-General Yu Yi-chia and Deputy Secretary-General Wang Si of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, as well as Executive Director Yibee Huang of the Covenants Watch—shared their experiences and observations regarding efforts to provide emergency assistance to foreign human rights defenders and asylum seekers under Taiwan's current legal and institutional framework. They also expressed their hope of working together with the NHRC to establish and strengthen related support mechanisms. Particularly with regard to the verification of applicants' identities and other critical procedures, Director Giorgetta emphasized that FIDH would be pleased to provide cross-border assistance and support.
At the same time, Director Giorgetta voiced strong support for the NHRC's continued fulfillment of its mandate to monitor the implementation of international human rights treaties in Taiwan. He encouraged the Commission to continue playing an active role in the international review of Taiwan's Fourth National Report on the ICCPR and ICESCR and, as an independent national human rights institution, to continue urging the government to take concrete steps toward the abolition of the death penalty and the enactment of a Refugee Act in order to strengthen the protection of human rights guaranteed under international human rights instruments.
Commissioners Tien Chiu-chin and Lin Wen-cheng, together with Executive Secretary Tsou Hsiao-han, also shared the NHRC's ongoing efforts to promote social dialogue on issues such as the abolition of the death penalty. They noted that the Commission has already convened consultations with government agencies and civil society organizations in preparation for drafting its Independent Opinion on the ICCPR and ICESCR and affirmed that the NHRC will continue its work with the support and encouragement of its international partners.