NGOs abandon platform over Taiwan name issue

A number of Taiwanese non-government organizations (NGOs) are severing ties with the GlobalGiving fundraising platform in protest of its decision to change the designation of "Taiwan" to "Chinese Taipei" starting next month. The platform reportedly made the change to facilitate its operations in China.

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Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years.

Organizations like the Taiwan Good Rice Association and the Taiwan Gender Equity Education Association have announced their withdrawal, expressing strong disapproval of GlobalGiving's "unilateral and non-negotiable" decision. The Taiwan Good Rice Association stated that "Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the nation in which we are based." Similarly, the gender rights association criticized the platform for being "uninterested in raising the profile of Taiwanese civil society" and accused it of caving to Chinese pressure.

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Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the nation in which we are based.

The Judicial Reform Foundation condemned the renaming as a "degrading" act, emphasizing that "the global fundraising platform caving to improper external pressure is unacceptable for an organization that has dedicated itself for more than 30 years to cultivating justice reform and human rights in Taiwan." The Reporter Cultural Foundation also confirmed it would cease using the platform. These organizations are now seeking alternative channels for international fundraising that uphold their values and respect Taiwan's national sovereignty and the autonomy of Taiwanese civil society.

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Taiwan Gender Equity Education Association said on Facebook that it would sever ties with GlobalGiving tomorrow, as it has no reason to continue associating with a platform uninterested in raising the profile of Taiwanese civil society.