TAIPEI (TVBS News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) announced Saturday (Sept. 19) the formal establishment of the World Alliance for Disaster Management (WADM, 世界災害管理聯盟). The Taiwan-initiated international organization represents what Taipei calls its most significant breakthrough in international organizational participation in over half a century.
The alliance brings together Taiwan's 11 diplomatic allies and Somaliland as founding members. Government agencies and disaster response organizations from 21 countries, including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Philippines, joined as observers or partners.
"The establishment of WADM is a major breakthrough in Taiwan's participation in international organizations in more than half a century," Lai said at the 2026 Presidential Office Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience International Forum in Taipei, which drew more than 500 domestic and international experts.
WADM will promote joint training, joint exercises, mutual support, and information sharing, Lai said. The alliance aims to connect pre-disaster early warning, mid-disaster response, and post-disaster recovery efforts, positioning Taiwan as a hub for cross-border disaster cooperation.
Taiwan's firefighter training center in Zhushan (竹山), Nantou County, will serve as the alliance's training hub. The facility is Asia's largest and the world's third-largest firefighter training center.
Palau is "proud to be one of WADM's founding members" and hopes the alliance will provide new resources for disaster management, Vice President Raynold Oilouch (歐宜樓) said at a welcome dinner Thursday hosted by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳). His country faces its worst drought in over 20 years due to El Niño impacts.
Foreign Minister Lin said at the dinner that Taiwan will leverage artificial intelligence, satellite applications, and unmanned vehicles to enhance global disaster response capabilities.
Interior Minister Liu said the Sept. 21, 1999, earthquake that devastated Taiwan inspired the alliance's creation, recalling the international assistance Taiwan received. The magnitude 7.7 tremor, known as the 921 earthquake (九二一大地震), killed 2,415 people and remains the island's second-deadliest earthquake in recorded history.
Taiwan's "whole-of-society defense resilience" approach aims to ensure that when the nation faces any disaster, the government can continue to operate effectively. Social and civilian functions should remain normal, with the capacity to support military needs when necessary, Lai said.
Lai established the Presidential Office's Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee two years ago, shortly after taking office, to strengthen Taiwan's crisis response through public-private cooperation. "After two years of preparation, we now have confidence that the Taiwan model can serve as a reference for other countries," he said.
Lai also announced that Taiwan's defense budget will reach NT$1.1225 trillion (around US$35.3 billion) next year, exceeding NT$1 trillion for the first time. The budget will continue to exceed 3 percent of GDP, with plans to reach 5 percent by 2030.
"When authoritarianism attempts to export fear, democratic societies should export confidence through resilience," Lai said.
"Taiwan is the world's Taiwan," Lai said. "Taiwan will continue to expand participation through contribution, build trust through professionalism, and connect with the world through cooperation." ◼ (At time of reporting, US$1 equals approximately NT$31.78)