A government-funded program enabling young people from Taiwan’s diplomatic allies to participate in short-term training and cross-cultural exchanges in Taiwan would soon begin its second round after the first round ended last month, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said yesterday.
Under the Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative’s Diplomatic Allies Inbound Track Program, 24 participants for Taiwanese diplomatic allies Eswatini, the Marshall Islands, Palau and Tuvalu underwent a two-week training program from July 18 to 31, said Department of Policy Planning head Ke Liang-ruey (柯良叡), who is in charge of the program.
Participants from Eswatini focused on smart agricultural technology, especially in the areas of automated cultivation, precision irrigation and smart sensors, Ke told a weekly ministry news briefing in Taipei.
Photo: Screen grab from Taiwan Alumni Association’s Facebook page
Meanwhile, participants from the Pacific allies learned how to develop sustainable tourism and conserve cultural resources to bolster local industry, he said.
The ministry hopes that participants can use what they learned to promote development in their home countries, he said.
Due to its success and high demand, the second round of the program would be extended to one month and be open not only to diplomatic allies in Latin America but also to non-allies in Europe, he said.
Taiwanese embassies and representative offices are searching for qualified participants to join the project, which is expected to begin in Taipei in mid-October, Ke said.
The project is an extension of the Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative, which was launched earlier this year.
The initiative was originally established to offer more than 800 opportunities for Taiwanese aged 15 to 30 to travel abroad for two weeks to up to one year, focusing on fostering global connections and exchanges among young Taiwanese.
The government later expanded the program to by inviting young people from Taiwan’s 12 diplomatic allies to visit the country for short-term training programs and cultural exchanges.
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