TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Paraguayan President Santiago Pena on Wednesday urged the UN to end decades of injustice by giving Taiwan a place at the world body.
At the 80th UN General Assembly General Debate, Pena spoke on Paraguay–Taiwan relations and Taiwan’s exclusion, per CNA. Since taking office, he has addressed Taiwan’s situation at three consecutive UNGA debates.
Pena said Paraguay proudly maintains 67 years of diplomatic relations with Taiwan, built on shared democratic values and cooperation. “That is why Paraguay's foreign policy is not based on mere economic interests, but rather on these shared values and principles,” he said.
He expressed concern over rising Taiwan Strait tensions, citing aggressive military exercises, repeated aerial incursions, and bellicose rhetoric. He warned that these actions threaten not only Asia but also global stability.
“Taiwan deserves a place in this forum," Pena said, calling it a matter of justice. “Its exclusion from the UN system is an affront that undermines the legitimacy of our institutions. Twenty-three million decent, hardworking, and dignified people cannot remain invisible to multilateralism," said Pena.
He added that Taiwan’s international space must be part of the assembly’s discussion. “It is time to uproot this tree of injustice which has grown for decades and to give (Taiwan) a place in the United Nations.”
Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine has also long advocated for Taiwan’s UN participation.
On Wednesday, she said Taiwan continues to be excluded from important international activities under the UN system. Despite Taiwan playing an important role for the Marshall Islands and the world in technology cooperation, regional peace, and sustainable development, “UNGA Resolution 2758 has been repeatedly and falsely portrayed as a consensus on one China UN Law,” said Heine.
“While this resolution does address who sits behind a name plate at the UN, it does not confer or justify any basis for caution or seizing sovereign control of an independent democratic nation,” said Heine. She urged the UN secretariat to end the discriminatory treatment of Taiwanese passport holders, including journalists.
She stressed that all member states must recognize that these and other politically motivated actions, under the misrepresentation of Resolution 2758, “will never be justification under international law for military invasion or coercive acts against Taiwan.”
