■ May 2012

It is a great honor for me to be elected as the 7th President of the National Council of Women, Taiwan, R.O.C. (NCW Taiwan) for a three year term from 2011-2014. Through the years NCW Taiwan has the good fortune of being led by outstanding women leaders whose vision and determination have brought it to its current scale. I look forward to the opportunity to work with our founding President and Honorary Chairman, Cecilia Y. Koo, Immediate Past President, Betty Chang, and the outstanding women leaders on our new board toward further strengthening this organization for the next three years.

Since its inception 22 years ago, membership in this council has grown to 12 member organizations today. We shall continue to focus our efforts on bringing together women's groups to work toward improving the status and welfare of women as well as promoting international networking and training. Through active participation in important international women's conferences, such as Commission on Status of Women at the United Nations held in March, the General Federation of Women's Clubs convention in June, the International Council of Women's General Assembly, and other like international conferences such as Federation of Asian Women's Associations, etc., we seek to heighten our abilities and skills to greater advocate for the women of Taiwan as well as to share our experiences with our sisters abroad so that women all over the world can enjoy a better and more equitable life.

Owing to the work of our predecessors and other women's associations, the status of women in Taiwan has leaped during the past ten years. However, although our government enacted CEDAW into law last year, much more remains to be done so as to ensure that old inequitable laws are amended, discriminatory social customs are rectified and new laws have non-gender specific impacts. NCW Taiwan will continue to actively participate in the promotion of CEDAW and cooperate with other women's organizations in monitoring the government on these issues as well as to engage in projects that will benefit and heighten the welfare of all women, young and old.