MOI Presents Disaster Prevention Awards at International Cooperatives Day Ceremony

The Ministry of the Interior held the 104th International Cooperative Day Awards Ceremony in Taipei today, presenting multiple awards to recognize cooperatives and practitioners who have demonstrated outstanding performance in disaster prevention and community resilience building. In his acceptance speech, Vice Minister Wu Tang-an stated that cooperatives play an indispensable role in Taiwan's social structure. In particular, when facing various natural disasters and social risks, their organizational flexibility and local connectivity enable them to serve as key partners in community safety and disaster prevention efforts. This award ceremony not only acknowledges the contributions of cooperatives over the past year but also reflects the Ministry of the Interior's expectations for enhancing grassroots resilience and community self-protection capabilities in the future.

Since the 1940s, cooperatives in Taiwan have been a significant organizational form in the agricultural, fishery, industrial, and service sectors. Centered on the principles of "member co-ownership, co-management, and profit-sharing," they utilize democratic decision-making and resource sharing to help members gain greater bargaining power and risk-sharing capabilities in market competition. In recent years, with the intensification of climate change and the increased frequency of disasters, the government and civil society organizations have integrated cooperatives into local disaster prevention networks. Leveraging their existing organizational structures and community relationships, cooperatives can rapidly disseminate information, coordinate rescue efforts, and allocate resources. Against this backdrop, the Ministry of the Interior has actively promoted the "Disaster Prevention Specialist Training Program," providing professional disaster prevention knowledge and practical skills to cooperative members and community volunteers, thereby further strengthening grassroots disaster prevention and recovery resilience.

At this year's awards ceremony, the Ministry of the Interior conferred several honors, including the "Outstanding Cooperative Award" and the "Distinguished Disaster Prevention Specialist Award." The winning cooperatives, drawn from agricultural and fishing villages, industrial zones, and urban communities, all demonstrated efficient risk assessment, resource integration, and community participation in their respective fields. One of the awardees, the Nantou Mountainous Area Agricultural Cooperative, quickly launched a community disaster prevention plan after suffering significant losses from a mountain mudslide last year. The cooperative assisted members with relocation, installed flood control facilities, and collaborated with local government authorities to create disaster risk maps, providing practical references for subsequent disaster early warning systems. Another awardee, the Taipei Community Welfare Cooperative, innovatively combined community volunteers and youth participation to host disaster drills and educational courses, enhancing citizens' disaster awareness and self-rescue capabilities.

In his speech, Wu noted that the Ministry of the Interior will continue to strengthen financial and technical support for cooperatives. The ministry will also collaborate with local governments, academic institutions, and civil organizations to establish more comprehensive disaster prevention information platforms and resource-sharing mechanisms. Future plans include expanding the scope of "Disaster Prevention Specialist Training" to cover more regions and diverse demographic groups, while encouraging cooperatives to take on demonstration and promotion roles in disaster prevention and environmental sustainability. These measures will not only help improve community self-protection capabilities but also align with the national long-term vision of "resilient communities" and "sustainable development."

Through this awards ceremony, the Ministry of the Interior has once again emphasized the core position of cooperatives in Taiwan's disaster prevention and resilience building. In the future, as climate change and urbanization accelerate, cooperatives will continue to provide stable and flexible disaster prevention support to local communities through their unique organizational models and community connections, becoming a vital force in safeguarding grassroots resilience. (Source: Central News Agency)