President Lai launches Taiwan-led World Alliance for Disaster Management

President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) has formally launched the Taiwan-initiated World Alliance for Disaster Management (WADM), calling it a major breakthrough in Taiwan’s international participation. Twelve nations have joined the organization that aims to strengthen cooperation on disaster preparedness.

Speaking at the second Resilient Taiwan for Sustainable Democracy International Forum in Taipei on Saturday, September 19, Lai said 11 of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, as well as Somaliland, have joined the organization as founding members. Central and local governments, disaster-prevention agencies, and organizations from 21 countries have also joined as observers or partners, Lai added.

The alliance will promote joint training and exercises, mutual assistance, and information sharing covering early warning, emergency response, and post-disaster recovery, according to the Presidential Office.

“To all our international partners, I want to emphasize that Taiwan is a Taiwan of the world,” Lai told the forum’s audience, which the president said included more than 500 experts, foreign representatives, and other guests who had gathered to discuss topics such as military-civilian cooperation, psychological defense, and resilience partnerships.

Lai said two years of work through the Presidential Office’s Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee, established in June 2024, have given Taiwan confidence that its approach could serve as a reference for other countries.

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