Premier Mao Chi-kuo today presided over the Executive Yuan's 2015 National Sustainable Development Awards Ceremony. He affirmed the award winners, which included schools, businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government agencies, as models for emulation.
The three awarded schools have paid great attention to ecological, environmental and life education, implementing unique green-campus features and implanting sustainability deep in the hearts of young students, the premier noted.
The honored businesses included Taiwan Power Co., a state-run enterprise that has realized eco-corridor concepts; and AU Optronics Corp., which has become a world paragon by proactively promoting environmental education, implementing green designs, and operating green factories and a circular economy.
In the NGO category, the widely acclaimed Garden of Hope Foundation continues to advocate and promote social reengineering, assisting disadvantaged women, and the Community Empowering Society has long been promoting community empowering and reengineering with outstanding results.
The following government agencies were awarded for their noteworthy efforts:
● The Forestry Bureau of the Council of Agriculture, for protecting the nation's forestry resources
by engaging the general public to participate in the conservation efforts.
● The North Coast & Guanyinshan National Scenic Area Administration, for promoting a friendly
tourism environment upholding the principle of "one step at a time and with persistence the goal
will finally be reached."
● The Bureau of Energy of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, for proactively furthering energy
conservation.
These agencies set a good example by putting the government's sustainable development policy into practice through concrete measures.
Economic development, social justice and environmental conservation are all administrative goals of the government, Premier Mao pointed out. As these three objectives often conflict with and counteract each other, the government has the responsibility to seek balance between them.
Besides pursuing domestic sustainable development, Taiwan also assigns great importance to relevant international participation, the premier stated. On December 11, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change passed the Paris Agreement at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties. Although Taiwan is not a contracting party, it has proactively participated in the global forum. With the efforts of the ROC's Environmental Protection Administration and other relevant agencies, the government has issued an Intended Nationally Determined Contribution and made commitments to control and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.