Presbyterian Church in Taiwan's UN Declaration

Jerome Keating passed me the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan's UN Declaration. Here it is in two languages -- spread the word:

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Declaration of the Right for Taiwan to Join the United Nations

To the member states of the United Nations, the peoples and nations of the world who love justice and peace, and to all churches around the world.

On the eve of the fifty-ninth anniversary of the United Nations’ “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” and in the spirit of our 1977 “Declaration on Human Rights” and our 1985 “Confession of Faith”, we declare:

Since the end of World War II in 1945, colonized peoples of the world have been exercising the basic human right of self-determination, thus becoming independent nations. The 23 million people of Taiwan remain the exception in that their inalienable right to statehood has been ignored or even actively opposed by member states of the United Nations. Clearly, the spirit of the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” has not been implemented worldwide. This overt neglect is an injustice and an outright violation of the human rights of the Taiwanese people.

Though the Taiwanese people had been successively ruled by foreign colonial powers, in 1996, they were able for the first time to directly elect a president in a democratic procedure that achieved a bloodless and peaceful revolution. Moreover they were even able to complete a peaceful transfer of power in 2000. A native Taiwanese administration led by the Democratic Progressive Party replaced the Chinese Nationalist (KMT) regime which had implemented their colonial rule over Taiwan for several decades by means of martial law. As a result of this change the Taiwanese people today express a strong demand to join the United Nations using the name “Taiwan”.

However, China, the superpower to the west of Taiwan, has repeatedly exerted its emerging influence on the international community to violate, suppress, and isolate Taiwan in a way that has brutally oppressed the Taiwanese people and their fundamental rights. Despite being grieved and incensed by this degradation, we stand on the belief that human rights are ordained by God and that Taiwan has the right to membership in the United Nations so that the dignity of the Taiwanese people will be upheld by the international community.

Therefore we solemnly make this appeal to the world. We urge all to courageously support the Taiwanese people, who have been left on the outside, and open the door to United Nations membership so that hand in hand together we can promote justice and peace throughout the world.

"The Lord has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8)

May God bless the United Nations, peoples and churches around the world. Amen.


The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan
Moderator: Rev. Dr. James Kheng-chiong Phoann 潘慶彰 (signed)
General Secretary: Rev. Andrew Tek-khiam Tiunn 張德謙 (signed)
December 7th, 2007


「台灣有權加入聯合國」宣言

致聯合國各會員國代表、世界愛好公義和平的國家人民、與普世教會：

在聯合國發表「世界人權宣言」滿五十九年之前夕，台灣基督長老教會根據1977年「人權宣言」與1985年「台灣基督長老教會信仰告白」之精神，發表如下宣言：

自1945年第二次世界大戰結束後，世界各殖民地的人民，紛紛行使自決的基本人權，取得獨立地位。惟獨台灣兩千三百萬人民，直到今日其應有的國際人格仍被忽視，被排除於聯合國大門之外。這不只突顯出聯合國「世界人權宣言」仍未在全世界落實，更是對臺灣人民基本人權的侵害。

臺灣人民雖然不斷受外來政權的殖民統治，卻能經由不流血的民主程序，在1996年第一次由人民直選台灣的總統。更於2000年在和平中完成政權轉移，由台灣本土政權「民主進步黨」執政，替換以戒嚴殖民統治台灣數十年的「中國國民黨」，今日台灣人民強烈要求以台灣的名義加入聯合國。

然而，台灣西邊的強權中國以霸權影響國際社會，一再污辱、打壓並執意孤立台灣，致使台灣人民的基本人權被踐踏。對此，我們感到悲憤，但仍確信人權是上帝所賜。台灣有權加入聯合國，使台灣人民的尊嚴受到國際社會應有的尊重。

為此，我們謹誠懇、嚴肅地向聯合國各會員國代表、世界愛好公義和平的國家人民、與普世教會呼籲，請勇敢挺身為被排拒於聯合國門外的臺灣人民主持正義，支持並促成台灣成為聯合國的會員國，共同促進公義與世界和平。

「世人哪，上主已指示你何為善，祂向你所要的是什麼呢？只要你行公義、好憐憫，存謙卑的心，與你的上帝同行。」（彌迦書六：8）

願上帝賜福聯合國、世界各國人民、與普世教會。阿門！

台灣基督長老教會總會

議 長 Phoann Kheng-chiong. 潘慶彰 (signed)

總幹事 Tiunn Tek-khiam 張德謙 (signed)

2007年12月7日

[Taiwan]