This year's National Indigenous Peoples’ Policy Summit took place on Thursday morning, the same day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Speaking at the opening ceremony, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) elaborated on his five policy goals for Taiwan’s Indigenous population.
In his speech, President Lai thanked Indigenous peoples for representing Taiwan on the global stage in areas such as sports, art, and culture, as well as their contributions at home through important vocational fields such as the military, police, healthcare, and education. He emphasized his continued support for Indigenous rights throughout his political career.
Explaining the five major tenets of his future Indigenous policies, Lai first highlighted language revitalization and the importance of restoring the languages of all ethnic minority groups in Taiwan. He also discussed his plan to improve the health of Indigenous peoples and address the gap in life expectancy of this demographic. Third, Lai expressed his intent to promote Indigenous culture, which he described as precious not only to Taiwan but to the world.
Lai went on to point out the need to cultivate Indigenous talent and provide opportunities for Indigenous peoples from all walks of life regardless of how remote their villages may be. Finally, he stressed the importance of promoting sustainable development, including the provision of government support to Indigenous people regardless of whether they seek to settle in cities or remain with their tribes to preserve their language and cultural heritage.
On August 1, 1994, amendments were made to the Additional Articles of the Constitution of Taiwan that officially replaced the term “mountain people” with “Indigenous people” in order to properly recognize their status in a dignified manner. For this reason, the Cabinet officially designated August 1 of each year Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2005.