Taiwan and the US have signed three agreements aimed at bolstering cooperation on international development and humanitarian assistance focused especially on Paraguay and Pacific island nations, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said yesterday.
The three agreements include a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that covers areas of cooperation between the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and Taiwan’s International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF), the AIT said in a statement.
Under the MOU, the two sides are to work on international development assistance, humanitarian assistance, research in international development and humanitarian fields, capacity building and training, and knowledge transfers, the statement said.
USAID is an agency that administers civilian foreign aid and development assistance to developing countries, while the ICDF is an agency funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide humanitarian assistance and aid mainly to Taiwan’s allies.
In addition to the MOU, two related agreements were also signed yesterday.
One says that USAID and the ICDF are to coordinate with the Paraguayan Ministry of Industry and Commerce to “strengthen micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and promote development in Paraguay,” the AIT said.
The other agreement allows bilateral cooperation between USAID and the ICDF to “enhance climate and disaster resilience in the Pacific region,” it said.
As part of this arrangement, ICDF is to provide up to US$600,000 in funding for a partnership under USAID’s Pacific American Fund, a grant provider that supports civil society organizations and improves quality of life across the Pacific.
The three agreements were signed in Washington by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office and the AIT’s US headquarters. The AIT represents US interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.
This is not the first time that USAID and the ICDF have collaborated to support Pacific island nations. The two agencies in July last year hosted an online management training course for medical workers across the Pacific region.
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