A workshop on foreign information manipulation and interference in electoral processes was held Sept. 5-6 in Vilnius under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework to strengthen democratic resilience.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the event was the first GCTF workshop held in Lithuania. It was jointly organized by the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania, U.S. Embassy in Lithuania, Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Vilnius-based nongovernmental organization Civic Resilience Initiative.
The workshop involved around 130 attendees, including academics and experts from Taiwan and the U.S. and Lithuanian participants from a range of sectors, the MOFA said. Discussion focused on analysis of election interference and effective countermeasures, the impact of artificial intelligence, and foreign influence operations around the world, the ministry added.
In her opening remarks, TRO in Lithuania Head Constance H. Wang said that Taiwan stands on the front line of authoritarian expansion and faces disinformation and misinformation every day. The country’s public and private sectors are leaving no stone unturned in combating such challenges, she added, expressing hope that the workshop would help fellow democracies jointly build a more resilient society.
The event also saw Lithuanian Vice Foreign Minister Egidijus Meilūnas deliver a keynote speech, while CRI hosted sideline activities to introduce how information software can improve media literacy.
Since its launch in 2015 by Taiwan and the U.S., GCTF has established a critical platform for facilitating discussion of solutions to global issues. The initiative was later joined by Japan, Australia and Canada, and affiliated events have been held outside the founding countries since 2021.
Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)
