Thread: ROC and Central America

President aims to widen aid cooperation with international groups
Central News Agency
2009-03-17 08:45 PM

Taipei, March 17 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou on Tuesday expressed the hope that strengthening cooperation with international organizations would help Taiwan to expand the scope of its foreign aid programs, in tandem with the government's current efforts to tailor a more transparent, professional and sustainable foreign aid policy.

To achieve this goal, Taiwan could tap into the experience and global network of major international groups such as Food For the Poor (FFP), the U.S.' largest charity organization, Ma said.

Ma made the comments in a meeting at the Presidential Office with a visiting delegation of representatives from FFP.

According to Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) , an implementation arm of the government' foreign aid program, Taiwan and FFP have been working on several joint aid programs since 2005 in Central American and Caribbean countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

One example of this type of cooperation is the successful tilapia breeding program, which was introduced in Honduras by Taiwan and was later extended with the help of FFP to the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua, the ICDF said.

The ICDF said that the visiting FFP delegation is expected to purchase Taiwan-made portable computers, solar-optoelectronics products and agricultural machinery for use in its foreign aid programs.

Meanwhile, Taiwan will send a mobile medical mission to Guatemala next week to provide free services to residents of the Central American country, according to ICDF.

Taiwan's 2009 foreign aid program includes dispatching 20 medical missions to 15 countries, the ICDF added.
http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_...&lang=eng_news
(By Jian Chen)