The 2016 ICW-ECM was held from Nov. 14^th through 17^that the Grand Hotel in Taipei, Taiwan.

On Nov. 14^th, the registration started at 8am and Linda Liu, President of National Council of Women of Taiwan gave introductory remarks. It was followed by Keynote Addresses. The first one was given by Hon. Pau-Ching Lu, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of China on “The Achievement of Policy on Women’s Rights Promotion in Taiwan”. The second one was on “Empowering Women, Changing Society” by Hon. Mervat Tallawy, Director General, Arab Women Organization. She focused on women’s hidden roles.

Welcome ceremony consisted of a performance and a very special visit by Her Excellency, President Tsai Ing-wen, Republic of China. Lots of cameramen and flashes! Dr. Cecilia Koo, Honorary President, NCWT, and Dr. Jungsook Kim, President, ICW also gave a very moving welcoming speech. Hon. Rene Baptiste, Speaker, The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States Assembly also gave a keynote address.

After lunch starting at 1:30 pm panel discussions were held on “Women in Power Society in Transformation” and “Women’s Empowerment in the Changing World” at the Auditorium. They lasted till 4:30 and four workshops followed with the titles “Advancing Women in Decision Making”, “Promoting Gender Equality in the Community”, “Transforming Society Through Women’s Empowerment: Korean and Taiwan Experience” and “Empowering Women for an Innovative and Inclusive Workplace”. The auditorium and the rooms on VIP floor were heated with passion and idea sharing.

November 15^th was the second day and from 10:30-12:20 there were NCW reports at Song Bo Room on the 10^th floor. Delegates were well prepared with the reports on their own and we were running out of time for City Tour.  We were guided to the beautiful Japanese restaurant called Shinyeh and well treated. We went to Songshan Cultural and Creative Park which was initially constructed as a tobacco factory and got changed to the cultural and creative park afterwards. Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall was the next visiting place and we were told that the hall and square became the hub of events in the 1980s and early 1990s that ushered Taiwan into its era of modern democracy.

We started the third day with Interfaith Service and Regional Council meetings were held separately. APRC was focused on recommendation for 2018 Triennial Theme and ECICW was held until lunch time. At 1:30pm there was Standing Committee and UN Rep. Meeting. Reports on NCW, Workshops and Standing Committee and UN Rep. followed. We were also informed on General Assembly which will be held in Indonesia in May, 2018. In the evening of the same day the guests were invited to Gala Night and Closing, which was held on the 3^rdfloor in the luxurious and ‘hot’ Regent Hotel Ballroom. Several performances were given by a number of affiliated members of NCWT welcoming guests and delegates. A friendly atmosphere was created when all the guests were dancing on the floor with the performers hand in hand, and everyone was tremendously happy and had an opportunity to meet, talk, and eventually build the strong friendship during dinner.

On November 17^th, there was an optional tour of Northern Taiwan. We went to National Palace and looked around all the precious and valuable remains and never missed time to pick up some souvenirs and handcrafts from the BC.  The afternoon ‘Sky Lantern releasing’ was the most impressive and fun experience that most of us had ever had. We sent our wishes on lanterns to the heaven. ‘Beijing Duck’ was the finale of the whole day and we all were moved by the scrummy treat paid by the NCWT members.    

We congratulate on the wonderful achievement of ICW-ECM in November 2016, and really appreciate NCWTaiwan for its superb dedication to make this ECM a grand success. All the things that we experienced during our stay in Taiwan will be remembered as an unforgettable beautiful memory for a long period of time.