Taiwan is to donate US$650,000 to APEC this year to continue funding projects and research, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today.
Department of International Organizations Director-General Jonathan Sun (孫儉元) signed the agreement while in Shenzhen, China, to attend the APEC Informal Senior Officials' Meeting, the ministry said in a news release.
Sun, who was representing Taiwan as a senior official for APEC, met with APEC Secretariat Executive Director Eduardo Pedrosa on Thursday last week to sign a memorandum of understanding on the donation.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Taiwan is a constructive member of APEC that has continued to make tangible contributions since it joined in 1991, including making donations and organizing various events, Sun said.
It would continue to cooperate with APEC members on an equal footing to promote regional prosperity and future development, he added.
Taiwan’s donations and active participation are beneficial not only to the work of the APEC Secretariat, but are also crucial to the work underway by all members of the organization to improve lives across the region, Pedrosa said.
The donation would be used for the Human Security Sub-Fund, established by Taiwan 20 years ago, and the Women and the Economy Sub-Fund, founded 10 years ago in cooperation with the US and Australia, the ministry said.
It would also be used for the Policy Support Unit to strengthen APEC’s policy research and analysis, it added.
APEC is one of the most important intergovernmental organizations in which Taiwan participates, the ministry said.
Personnel from more than 40 government agencies attend various meetings every year, and more than 30 APEC meetings and activities are held in Taiwan annually, it said.
Moreover, various projects proposed by Taiwan’s three representatives to the APEC Business Advisory Council have gained widespread recognition, it added.
The government would continue to make full use of APEC to strengthen exchanges with other members and enhance Taiwan’s visibility and influence within the organization, the ministry said.
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