President Tsai Ing-wen (right) and Kailash Satyarthi (left). / Photo courtesy of CNA
Taipei, Oct. 11 (CNA) Kailash Satyarthi, a renowned leader in the global movement to end exploitation against children is seeking to engage Taiwan in his two major initiatives to "globalize compassion," a move well received by President Tsai Ing-wen.
Satyarthi met with Tsai on Thursday on his second visit to Taiwan to advocate two growing global movements "Laureates and Leaders for Children" and "100 Million for 100 Million," both initiated in 2016 after he was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 2014.
At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Satyarthi said he has spoken about the two projects with Tsai at their meeting earlier that day, and "she is very supportive and positive."
Laureates and Leaders for Children was launched two years ago in India with the aim to "build a strong moral platform" for Nobel laureates and world leaders to fight for the wellbeing of children, said Satyarthi, who shared the peace prize with Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai.
"We have so many international laws and treaties," said the 64-year-old Indian advocate. "What we (are) lacking is a strong voice to speak on behalf of children."
Asked about possible forms of cooperation with Taiwan's government, Satyarthi said he will explore the possibility of holding a summit of the Laureates and Leaders for Children here one day.
"That will give a very strong message to the rest of the world if it is possible," he said.
Satyarthi has invited Michael Hsiao, chairman of Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, Taiwan's policy-oriented think tank focusing on the New Southbound Policy, to attend the campaign's summit. He said he has also maintained close contact with Lee Yuan-tseh, Taiwan's Nobel Prize laureate for chemistry in 1986, on cooperation in the initiative.
Over the years, the Wake Foundation, Eden Foundation and several other nongovernmental organizations in Taiwan have been working with Satyarthi's foundation in India by sending young Taiwanese volunteers to provide services at its rehabilitation center for children rescued from slavery and exploitation.
As for his other project, Satyarthi said he is scheduled to meet with young people at National Chung Hsing University in central Taiwan's Taichung city on Friday to discuss the "100 Million for 100 Million" project, which calls upon young people to campaign for the rights of underprivileged children across the world.
The "100 Million for 100 Million" campaign has grown to 32 countries, and aims to involve over 100 countries by the end of next year, Satyarthi said.
"We are looking for an appropriate time to launch this campaign in Taiwan. It will be soon," he said.
Satyarthi described the campaigns as "globalization of compassion."
"We have already globalized economies, importation, production, knowledge, technology. Now this is the time to globalize compassion," he said.
Satyarthi said that he has been calling for business with compassion, politics with compassion, as well as society for compassion, because without compassion connecting each other,"we are losing humanity."
In spite of all international bottlenecks and difficulties facing Taiwan, Satyarthi said Taiwan has a lot of potential to show leadership in dealing with many issues of global concerns through humanitarian drives and compassion drives.
