On the sidelines of the 67th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, Taiwan Gender Equality Week was launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and some of the nation’s diplomatic allies yesterday. The opening event, called “Taiwan Night: Celebrating Women in Tech,” was hosted at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, attracting nearly 100 attendees, including representatives from Palau and Saint Lucia’s missions to the UN, Taiwanese women’s rights groups, and NGOs from other countries.

James Lee, the office director, stated that women account for only 5% of workers in sectors dominated by graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), describing it as a symptom of the digital divide that impedes global gender equality efforts. As a global leader in information technology, Taiwan is committed to eradicating sexual discrimination in the tech sector through education and digital policies, he added, and is enthusiastic about sharing its experience and knowledge with its partners.

Eswatini Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku highlighted the significance of digital rights in granting women access to education, economic opportunities, healthcare, and social services, as well as promoting civic participation. He also praised Taiwan’s valuable experience in elevating women to leadership positions in government agencies tasked with digital technology and stated that other nations could benefit from Taiwan’s experience. Masuku expressed gratitude for being invited to the event, and he suggested that cooperation on women’s rights would enhance the relationship between the two countries.

Masuku argued that Taiwan’s exclusion from the UN is unjust and unreasonable, depriving Taiwanese female leaders of the chance to exchange ideas with their counterparts from other countries. He firmly supports Taiwan’s right to become a full UN member.

At the event, female leaders and officials from Taiwan’s diplomatic allies donned clothes created by Taiwanese fashion designer Claudia Wang and posed for a photograph. Tsao Hsiao-yue, a professor of interactive design at the National Taipei University of Technology, praised Wang’s virtual reality-assisted design process for minimizing waste, an issue that critics often associate with the fashion industry. She also claimed that the technology has considerably increased the sustainability of the garment industry and created new opportunities for fashion shows through the integration of the metaverse.