Wearing a traditional handmade Amis shoulder bag bursting with color, the AIT director and the head of indigenous affairs posed for a photo. This was Christensen’s first visit to the Council of Indigenous Peoples.
Icyang Parod
Indigenous Peoples Council minister
Icyang Parod, Indigenous Peoples Council minister: Guam and Hawaii are already members of the Austronesian Forum. Today, we wanted to formally invite the U.S. to become a member too.
Back in 2018, Taiwan relaunched the Austronesian Forum, a move that won the support of several Pacific nations. Last year, a meeting of forum members brought together 14 representatives based in Taiwan. On Wednesday, the AIT director’s visit was hailed as a step forward in the U.S.-Taiwan friendship, as well as a chance to deepen exchanges in economic growth in indigenous communities, particularly regarding women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.
Icyang Parod, Indigenous Peoples Council minister: One of the issues is developing industries in remote indigenous communities. We’re working on finding ways to promote and provide business management training to women.
The Council of Indigenous Peoples will be working with AIT to support women entrepreneurs to help indigenous industries thrive. The project is also designed to strengthen economic and commercial cooperation between indigenous people in Taiwan and the U.S.
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