Taiwan has pledged US$3 million to the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) to help address climate issues in the Pacific islands, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said yesterday.
“On behalf of Taiwan, Prime Minister Feleti Penitala Teo of Tuvalu, Taiwan’s ally in the region, announced at the Pacific Islands Forum that Taiwan will participate and support the PRF,” Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Director Michael Lin (林昭宏) said.
The donation, which is to be distributed over three years, was first announced at the Pacific Islands Forum in the Solomon Islands last week, Lin said.
Photo: Yang Cheng-yu, Taipei Times
“Taiwan, as an indispensable partner that has long contributed to the PRF, has decided to donate US$3 million to the PRF over three years,” Lin said.
The PRF had already raised more than US$170 million, with Australia promising to donate US$64 million, the US to donate US$25 million and Japan pledging US$3 million, he said.
Taiwan and like-minded partners would continue to contribute to peace, stability, regional development and prosperity in the Pacific island region, he said.
“Taiwan has always upheld the ‘Pacific Way’ honored by PIF members when participating in affairs in the Pacific, adopting the spirit of diversity and inclusion,” he said.
The PRF is the first Pacific-led regional fund dedicated to improving community resilience in the region, helping vulnerable people of the region who are exposed to climate change and disaster risks, the fund’s Web site says.
It seeks to build the resilience, preparedness and the adaptive capacity of poor communities before disasters strike, it says.
The five-day PIF summit concluded on Friday last week.
This year, the host country did not invite dialogue and development partners to the summit because a review of each country’s relationship with the Pacific islands had not been completed, Lin said.
“Although it is very regrettable that Taiwan could not interact with PIF members and other partners through this event in the Solomon Islands, we respect the hosting country’s decision made through a PIF internal mechanism,” he said.
Media had earlier reported that the decision was a result of political interference by China to block Taiwan’s participation.
A communique issued by PIF members at the end of the summit reaffirmed Taiwan’s involvement in its events as a “development partner,” Lin said, adding that it means Taiwan’s status as a development partner, established by the 1992 PIF leaders’ communique, would remain the same.
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