Kiribati President Anote Tong on Tuesday called for Taiwan's participation at the 2010 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and invited Taiwan to join a global climate change meeting in his country later this year. Tackling global climate change requires a concerted effort from countries around the world, and therefore Kiribati supports Taiwan's participation in the coming UNFCCC, Tong said while giving a keynote speech at the Legislative Yuan. Before the UNFCCC meeting late this year in Mexico, Kiribati would like to nvite Taiwan to co-sponsor a similar international meeting in the central-South Pacific island country, Tong told the legislators. The UNFCCC is an international environmental treaty produced at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro from June 3-14, 1992. The objective of the treaty is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent damage to the climate system. According to Tong, Kiribati is facing a serious drinkable water shortage as the country has come under huge threats of pollution and rising sea levels. The Kiribati president also thanked Taiwan for its assistance, particularly in agriculture, and expressed hope for continued cooperation. Earlier, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng presented a medal of honor to Tong for his contribution in promoting exchanges between lawmakers of the two countries. Kiribati is one of 23 countries that share formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. 