Taiwan and US Host First GCTF Workshop in New Zealand to Strengthen Regional Disaster Resilience

The Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF), jointly established by Taiwan and the United States, continues to expand its reach, holding an international workshop in New Zealand for the first time with a focus on disaster management, an issue critical to the Pacific region. This cross-border collaboration not only demonstrates the international community's high regard for Taiwan's accumulated wealth of experience and response capabilities in facing natural disasters, but also highlights the strategic significance of like-minded countries joining hands in the Indo-Pacific region to jointly strengthen regional resilience. Through such platforms, Taiwan is able to continuously play a role of international justice and professional contribution, deepening substantive partnerships with Austronesian peoples and Pacific island nations.

The GCTF workshop held in New Zealand marked the first time Taiwan and the U.S. have jointly organized an event of this nature locally, attracting officials, experts, and scholars from multiple countries across the Pacific region. Representative to New Zealand O-Chiang-an pointed out in her opening remarks that Taiwan has long been situated in a geographically disaster-prone environment, accumulating deep practical experience in the prevention, mitigation, and response to various disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons. Through this workshop, Taiwan hopes to unselfishly share these valuable experiences with partners in the Indo-Pacific region, exchange knowledge, and learn from one another in the face of the severe challenges brought by extreme climate, thereby jointly enhancing the region's disaster response capabilities and rescue standards.

U.S. Chargé d'Affaires to New Zealand Scott Cowan gave high praise to Taiwan during his speech at the meeting. He explicitly affirmed that Taiwan is a vital model for global disaster resilience, demonstrating exceptional response capabilities and professionalism in disaster prevention technology, civil mobilization, and technological application. The U.S. side's long-term close cooperation with Taiwan through the GCTF framework stems precisely from recognizing the critical value Taiwan can provide in the field of non-traditional security. This trilateral or multilateral cooperation among the U.S., New Zealand, and Taiwan in New Zealand also reflects that the U.S.-Taiwan partnership is not limited to bilateral relations, but is actively expanding to third countries to jointly assist Pacific island nations in addressing the immediate threats posed by climate change.

Reviewing the development of the Global Cooperation and Training Framework, since its establishment by Taiwan and the United States in 2015, the mechanism initially focused primarily on public health, law enforcement cooperation, and women's empowerment. As its operations have matured, GCTF's focus has gradually expanded to disaster resilience, supply chain security, cybersecurity, and the digital economy, which are among the most pressing challenges facing the international community today. In recent years, GCTF has actively promoted an "overseas branch model." In addition to events held in the United States and Taiwan, franchise workshops have been successively expanded to Japan, Australia, Europe, and other locations, allowing Taiwan's professional capabilities to exert a key influence on a broader international stage and shaping it into an important hub for regional cooperation.

For Taiwan, the Pacific region holds deep historical and cultural connections as well as crucial geostrategic importance. Climate change and extreme weather pose a direct threat to the survival and development of island nations, making disaster management a core issue for regional security and sustainable development. By deepening cooperation with New Zealand and Pacific island nations through the GCTF platform, Taiwan has not only fulfilled its commitment as a force for good in the international community, but also substantially consolidated and expanded its substantive participation space in the South Pacific through professional diplomacy and humanitarian relief cooperation, demonstrating Taiwan's indispensable and constructive role in international cooperation.