Taiwan ready to give back through new disaster alliance: Lai

Taipei, Sept. 22 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Monday that Taiwan is ready to give back to the world through a newly established disaster management alliance, 27 years after countries came to its aid following the devastating 1999 Jiji earthquake.

"27 years ago, countries around the world came to Taiwan to help us. 27 years later, it is Taiwan's turn to contribute to the world," Lai said while meeting delegation heads from the World Alliance for Disaster Management (WADM) at the Presidential Office.

The WADM, formally launched in Taipei on Saturday, is the first Taiwan-initiated intergovernmental organization in 55 years, according to Lai.

The alliance's founding members are Taiwan, 11 of its diplomatic allies and Somaliland. Central and local governments and disaster management organizations from 21 countries, including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey and the Philippines, are participating as observers or partners.

Lai said that following the magnitude-7.3 Jiji earthquake that struck central Taiwan on Sept. 21, 1999, 21 countries sent 38 rescue teams to Taiwan, including 722 search-and-rescue personnel and 103 rescue dogs.

The earthquake killed more than 2,400 people and caused over 100,000 buildings to collapse, making it Taiwan's worst disaster since the end of World War II, according to Lai.

Over the ensuing 27 years, Taiwan has established a comprehensive disaster management framework and built the National Fire Agency Training Center in Zhushan Township, Nantou County, which Lai said is the largest of its kind in Asia and third-largest in the world.

Under the WADM framework, the center will serve as a major Indo-Pacific hub for disaster management training and exchanges, with members cooperating through joint training and exercises, mutual assistance and information sharing, Lai said.

"Our goal is not only to build back better, but also to prepare better together," Lai said.

Also speaking at the meeting, Palau Vice President Raynold B. Oilouch said WADM delegates were "quite impressed" by Taiwan's disaster preparedness and management after visiting the training center in Nantou on Sunday.

"Taiwan is not only a leader in areas of semiconductors and healthcare; it is also leading the way in the area of disaster preparedness and management," Oilouch said.

Oilouch noted that WADM members face different types of disasters, ranging from earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions to typhoons, tsunamis and droughts.

"Recognizing that each member nation faces its own distinct and pressing challenges, I remain confident in our collective capacity to overcome them through shared purpose and collaboration," he said.