Taiwan, the United States and New Zealand hold the first GCTF Pacific Disaster Management Workshop to strengthen regional resilience

Taiwan and the United States jointly held the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) overseas event "Disaster Management in the Pacific" (Disaster Management in the Pacific) for the first time in Auckland, New Zealand, from September 29 to 30 this year (2026). This event invites disaster response experts, government officials, policy experts and civil society representatives from Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) member states, associate members and observers, hoping to strengthen regional disaster management capabilities and cross-regional coordination and cooperation through experience exchange and professional dialogue.

Ambassador Ou Jiangan, my country's representative in New Zealand, said in his opening speech that natural disasters are a common challenge faced by all countries. She emphasized that Taiwan has learned deeply from its experience with previous disasters that adequate pre-disaster preparations can not only mitigate the impact of disasters, but are also the key to accelerating post-disaster recovery. Since Taiwan is located at the junction of tectonic plates with frequent earthquakes and is often threatened by typhoons and floods, it actively exchanges disaster prevention experience and shares best practices and resources with partners in the Indo-Pacific region, especially Pacific island countries, to jointly improve disaster response capabilities.

Gabrielle Cowan, charge d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy in New Zealand, pointed out in her opening speech that the Pacific region is one of the regions most vulnerable to natural disasters in the world. Its disaster resilience comes from generations of accumulated experience in crisis response and post-disaster reconstruction, and it continues to improve disaster reduction strategies to reduce impacts and protect life safety.

Charge d'Affaires Cowan particularly recognized Taiwan's comprehensive disaster early warning system and disaster prevention and preparation with the participation of the whole society. He praised Taiwan as one of the global models of disaster resilience and looked forward to participants sharing their experiences and learning from each other through this workshop.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this workshop will further deepen regional partnerships, strengthen disaster management and response capabilities of various countries, and jointly enhance the security and resilience of the Pacific region through the exchange of experience in national defense and disaster relief, as well as the sharing of practical resources and tools.