Under the International Environmental Partnership program, the Taiwan EPA, US EPA, and the Health Promotion Administration, Taiwan jointly held the 2019 Asia-Pacific Children’s Health Environmental Symposium on Oct. 19 to 20 in Taipei, Taiwan. Speakers and participants from the US, Taiwan, and their partner countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Afghanistan, Laos, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam took part in the event.

To open the symposium, a video welcome message was delivered by Vice President Chien-Jen Chen, who attended the first children’s health symposium in 2017. During the opening ceremony, Taiwan EPA Minister Tzi-Chin Chang stated that children’s health, along with environmental protection, is of great importance to the Taiwan EPA. In addition, Acting Secretary General Shun-Ping Cheng of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator Jane Nishida of the US EPA, and Deputy Director Raymond Greene of the American Institute in Taiwan all voiced their opinions in the opening ceremony.

Through the symposium, Taiwan and the USA shared their experiences in children’s health protection with the partner countries, in an effort to promote children’s health with environmental protection in the region. Furthermore, challenges and key priority areas in children’s environmental health protection were identified, allowing the partner countries to develop their own roadmaps to a healthier environment.