To establish a comprehensive policy to safeguard human rights, Taiwan launched its first National Human Rights Action Plan (2022-2024) on May 5, 2022, focusing special attention on indigenous peoples, the LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) community, homeless people, migrant workers, senior citizens, women, children, disabled individuals, refugees and other vulnerable groups. The plan covers eight major human rights issues and 154 action projects, and pledges to incorporate human rights guarantees into the overall development of the nation and relevant government administration plans. It will also ensure the effective utilization of government resources in affairs concerning human rights protection. These efforts demonstrate that the government is willing to voluntarily implement and commit to the obligations of international human rights conventions, joining the global trend that has seen U.N. member states formulating human rights action plans. Going forward, Taiwan's human rights standards will be able to rise even higher.
Eight major issues
■ Human rights protection systems: Establish the Department of Human Rights and Transitional Justice, responsible for consolidating human rights affairs across different conventions, ministries and agencies.
■ Human rights education: Institute mechanisms to effectively assess and monitor human rights education. Address the issue of Taiwan's human rights education overemphasizing quantity over quality.
■ Equality and nondiscrimination: Formulate comprehensive equality laws to root out discrimination that intermittently emerges in various laws and regulations.
■ Right to life: Develop policies to combat the global public health issue of teen suicide and the national public safety issue of traffic accident fatalities.
■ Housing justice: Research, discuss and catalog housing rights protection policies. Improve related laws, regulations and measures.
■ Climate change and human rights: Amend the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act and rename it the Climate Change Response Act. Continue promoting the National Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
■ Digital human rights: Amend relevant laws and regulations such as the Criminal Code of the Republic of China and the Sexual Assault Crime Prevention Act to build a more comprehensive protective network against gender-based violence and strengthen protective measures and services for victims.
■ Refugee rights: Codify legal mechanisms for refugees to seek asylum and clarify related application procedures.