Deputy UN Chief Says "Exclusion Of Anyone" Harms Global Goals

The exclusion of anyone hampers efforts to achieve global development goals, stated United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed when asked about Taiwan's appeal to be included in the campaign, as reported by Michelle Nichols and Michael Martina for Reuters.

Mohammed: "I believe that the exclusion of anyone impedes progress towards these goals." I Photo: Violaine Martin UN Geneva Flickr

World leaders will convene next week at the annual UN General Assembly. However, Taiwan is excluded based on a 1971 UN resolution that recognizes Beijing as the legitimate representative of China to the UN.

Leaders will also hold a summit on Sustainable Development Goals - a global "to-do" list created in 2015 that addresses the climate crisis, achieving gender equality, and ending hunger and poverty.

"I believe that the exclusion of anyone impedes progress towards these goals," Mohammed told reporters.

"We have advocated for leaving no one behind, and I think member states must find a way to ensure that we do not find ourselves in a situation where we exclude anyone. Every individual matters, whether it's Taiwan or any other case. Member states should work towards finding a solution," she added.

Taiwan has long called on the UN to grant it membership. Taiwan's Foreign Minister, Joseph Wu, stated in an interview with Foreign Policy on Thursday that achieving membership would be "very challenging" for Taiwan, but there remains hope.

"I believe there is increasing attention from the international community to the necessity for peace between Taiwan and China, and the United Nations would be the most suitable platform for discussing this matter," he said.

"Therefore, excluding Taiwan from the UN is morally wrong, unjust, and something we need to change." China has never governed Taiwan for a single moment; thus, it cannot claim that the island is an integral part of China.

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