International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Article 1
(Please refer to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights)
Article 2
International Cooperation and Development Aid
160. According to the 2008 White Paper on Foreign Aid Policy announced by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in May 2009, the total budget of the R.O.C.
(Taiwan) government Official Development Assistance (ODA) was initially
estimated to be approximately USD 430 million for the year, accounting for
0.11% of the gross national income (GNI) of Taiwan. This was substantially
lower than the average assistance budget of 0.28% of GNI for the countries of
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and
far from the United Nations’ standard of 0.7%. In addition, this budget was
further decreased in 2019 (approximately USD 310 million, accounting for
only 0.051% of Taiwan’s GNI). Considering Taiwan’s foreign policy of
“Fulfill international responsibilities, undertake international obligations,
expand international cooperation, develop the nation’s international social
influence,” the foreign aid budget of the government should be consistent with
international standards and demonstrate that it intends to fulfill the
international social responsibility of our nation.
Anti-discrimination Measures
161. Reasonable Accommodation for Persons with Disabilities
(1)
Reasonable accommodation ensures that persons with disabilities can enjoy
equal right to take examinations and work as others do. In 2018, during the Civil
Service Special Examination for the Persons with Disabilities, there was an
incident where an examinee with a visual impairment submitted a request to
enlarge the examination paper print to font size 20 before the examination;
however, the Ministry of Examination (MOEX) was only willing to provide the
“enlarged examination paper of fixed specifications,” such that the disabled
person’s equal right to take the examination was affected. The MOEX, which
oversees the national examinations, should provide fair and non-discriminatory
examination assistance measures in order to satisfy the individual needs of
persons with disabilities. It should protect the right of persons with disabilities
to take examinations with its best efforts, and the current examinees’ rights
protection mechanism should be reviewed in order to establish procedures for
reasonable accommodation, thereby preventing disputes arising from
discrimination against persons with disabilities.
69