Taipei: President Lai Ching-te announced the formation of the World Alliance for Disaster Management (WADM) at a forum in Taipei, aiming to enhance disaster preparedness and response through international collaboration. The alliance includes Taiwan, 11 diplomatic allies, and Somaliland as founding members, with an additional 21 countries, such as the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom, participating as observers or partners.
According to Focus Taiwan, the WADM will focus on joint training, mutual assistance, and information sharing, positioning Taiwan as a hub for disaster prevention and response coordination. During the opening of the 2026 Resilient Taiwan for Sustainable Democracy International Forum, Lai emphasized that the alliance represents a significant advancement for Taiwan in its international organizational efforts over the past fifty years.
Lai highlighted Taiwan's commitment to working with international partners on early warning systems, disaster response, and post-disaster recovery through collaborative training and standardization. He mentioned the fire and rescue training center in Zhushan Township, Nantou County, as a key resource, being the largest in Asia and the third largest globally.
The initiative aims to establish a shared professional language and enhance the disaster response capabilities of participating nations. Lai also referenced the creation of the Office of the President Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee two years ago, which focuses on strengthening societal resilience through collaboration between industry, government, academia, research institutions, and civil society.
Lai stated that Taiwan has sought international insights on global events and resilience models from other nations over the past two years. He expressed confidence in the Taiwan model's value to the international community and its potential as a foundation for other countries looking to improve their preparedness.
Addressing security concerns, Lai stressed the importance of Taiwan being prepared to maintain peace amid the evolving international political landscape and threats from China. He advocated for democratic societies to spread confidence through resilience and encouraged cooperation among democratic partners to counter disunity efforts by authoritarian forces.
Lai thanked international guests at the forum, including Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey, Japanese Sen. Takinami Hirofumi, and former Philippine and U.S. national security advisers. In his speech, Luckey praised Taiwan's freedom as its most significant asset and highlighted the country's advantage in supporting innovation and technology development.