The grandest carnival of democratic agendas in the history of Taiwan will be held in Taichung! With over 60 participating nations, the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy will be hosted by Taichung this year by Taichung City Government, National Chung Hsing University, and NGOs at the National Chung Hsing University during October 2-5, inviting more than 100 experts and scholars from domestic and abroad to engage in a dialogue on the spirit of democracy.

According to the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission Chairperson Huang-sheng Wu, the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy involves broad and comprehensive analysis by experts and scholars to explore the approaches adopted by various countries in implementing direct democracy, while differences between the progress of eastern and western democracy are also compared; at the same time, the city hall can take the opportunity to showcase Taichung's experience in democratic governance, thereby allowing the world to notice Taichung's achievements in democracy.

Chairperson Wu pointed out that the city hall values the spirit of democracy, therefore in addition to respecting the opinions of diverse groups, it has rigorously promoted direct democracy and information transparency. This year, several innovative policies have been implemented including the new MOU section on the city hall's official website, disclosing MOUs, letters of intent, and general agreements signed between the city hall and various parties to guarantee the citizens' right to know. Furthermore, the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission also launched "join.gov.tw" in May this year, enabling citizens to propose suggestions and discuss public policies directly through the Internet.

Moreover, the Education Bureau also formed the Youth Affairs Advisory Committee with assistance from the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission, providing youths with a platform to voice their opinions. All proposals deliberated and approved by the committee will be submitted to the relevant bureaus and departments, so that the issues and policies close to the hearts of the youths will be attended to and implemented.

Research, Development and Evaluation Commission commented that the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy features diverse agendas, attracting enthusiastic participation by numerous domestic and foreign experts and scholars. Currently, more than 200 international experts, practitioners, scholars, and government employees from 64 countries have signed up for the event, making it the grandest carnival of democratic agendas in the history of Taiwan.

Research, Development and Evaluation Commission elaborated that the forum will be convened at the National Chung Hsing University from October 2 to 5, featuring 3 large symposiums and nearly 40 forums. Scholars and delegates from various countries will be invited to discuss democracies in Islamic and European countries. Furthermore, they will exchange experiences in democracy with Taiwan, and the forum will be open to questions, breaking the barrier between scholars and citizens. By hosting the event, the city hall and National Chung Hsing University wish to interact and exchange experiences with scholars and experts of democracy in various nations, as well as to learn from each other's strengths to make up for any shortcomings, hoping the ideal of democracy will take root in Taichung.