Next revitalization plan phase to be launched next year

Taiwan is to launch a new phase of the regional revitalization plan next year, which aims to form links between local towns and the world, vice presidentelect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said at the opening of a twoday Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) forum in Taipei yesterday.

The proposed plan is a continuation of the national strategic plan for regional development that began in 2019, the goal of which was to spark rural economic growth and alleviate overpopulation in the six special municipalities, she said.

The 3.0 version of the revitalization plan would focus more on providing communities with the right resources to surmount their challenges, encourage collaborations across regional lines and strengthen international bonds, she added.

Whenever she travels, she finds a city’s history, people and culture more impressive than the number or appearance of its skyscrapers, showing that regional strategy must highlight the unique things about the place being developed, Hsiao said.

The saying “Taiwan’s most beautiful scenery is its people,” refers to the resilience and culture of Taiwanese, who struggled, and are still struggling, for things that other nations take for granted, she said.

The world is undergoing a time of change and is facing a plethora of challenges, including inflation, which stems from global unrest and economic inequality, which is something Taiwan must also tackle, Hsiao said.

The government must concurrently deal with problems such as an aging population, a widening urban-rural gap that has resulted in a loss of rural jobs, a decline in the nation’s cultural heritage and a negative demographic growth that has weakened the social safety net, she added.

Many nations now share the struggle to resolve these issues, which were a result of previous urban-centric developmental models, so meeting the UN’s SDGs is more necessary than ever, she said.