Following accusations by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that Taiwan has been behind abusive, racist attacks against him over the past three months amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the government on Thursday detailed the aid it has provided to Ethiopia — Tedros’ home country.
Through semi-official or non-governmental channels, Taiwan has extended humanitarian aid to Ethiopia in a broad range of areas — livelihood improvements, healthcare, nutrition, food/water supply, education, and children and women’s rights — for several years, as well as social support, the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) said.
For example, three Ethiopian nationals participated in the ICDF’s programs on “environment monitoring and catastrophe prevention” and “projection and management of science industrial parks” in 2012, as well as a “clean power development strategy” workshop in 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs-affiliated organization said.
Each Ethiopian participant received NT$150,000 (US$4,983 at the current exchange rate) to cover the cost of their airfare, courses, food, accommodation and transportation during their two-week stays in Taiwan, it said.
In 2018, five Ethiopian nationals participated in the “fostering program for medics from friendly countries” in Taiwan, where they received training from Mackay Memorial Hospital and Tri-Service General Hospital free of charge, the ICDF said.
During that group’s one-to-three-month stay in Taiwan, their expenses were covered by a number of agencies, with the ICDF paying NT$70,000 for each of them, it said.
Taiwanese private-sector groups — including the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families, World Vision and other non-governmental organizations — have also extended assistance to Ethiopia in the form of fundraising, child adoptions and cooperative ventures.
Last month, an Ethiopian exchange student in Taiwan underwent an operation for deep vein thrombosis, the cost of which — NT$1.45 million — was paid by the hospital, the Taiwan chapter of Kiwanis International and donations from members of the public.
Meanwhile, the government has also worked with Eswatini — Taiwan’s sole diplomatic ally in Africa.
Ministry Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director Ali Yang (楊心怡) said that the nation’s embassy in Eswatini has teamed up with Taiwan’s agricultural mission to hold seminars as part of its efforts to help foreign diplomatic missions and Taiwanese businesspeople overseas combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
The embassy has purchased protective gear, gloves, disposable hair caps and shoe covers and alcohol hand sanitizer from neighboring countries for medical personnel in Eswatini, Yang said, adding that 60,000 masks donated by Taiwan are to arrive soon.
Government agencies and private entities from Jordan, Mongolia, Nigeria and Kuwait have sought Taiwan’s assistance in the fight against the novel coronavirus, he said.
The ministry is engaged in many relevant projects, pending further instructions from the Central Epidemic Command Center, he added.
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported yesterday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes after South Korean and US forces launched their springtime military drills, due to run until Thursday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday oversaw the testing of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies, it said. Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies, within the 420km striking range, a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding
North Korea yesterday fired about 10 ballistic missiles to the sea toward Japan, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, days after Pyongyang warned of “terrible consequences” over ongoing South Korea-US military drills. Pyongyang recently dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, Washington’s security ally, describing its latest peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce.” Seoul’s military detected “around 10 ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area in North Korea toward the East Sea [Sea of Japan] at around 1:20pm,” JCS said in a statement, referring to South Korea’s name for the body of water. The missiles
‘UNWAVERING FRIENDSHIP’: A representative of a Japanese group that co-organized a memorial, said he hopes Japanese never forget Taiwan’s kindness President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, urging continued cooperation between Taiwan and Japan on disaster prevention and humanitarian assistance. Lai wrote on social media that Taiwan and Japan have always helped each other in the aftermath of major disasters. The magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering a massive tsunami that claimed more than 19,000 lives, according to data from Japanese authorities. Following the disaster, Taiwan donated more than US$240 million in aid, making it one of the largest contributors of financial assistance to Japan. In addition to cash donations and
RSS