History of the TaiwanICDF
The Republic of China (ROC) initiated its overseas technical assistance in 1959 when the
first group of agricultural specialists arrived in Vietnam. In 1961, under Operation Vanguard,
technical missions helped improve agricultural production in many newly independent African
countries. In 1962, the task force of Operation Vanguard was expanded to become the
Sino-Africa Technical Cooperation Committee (SATCC), a permanent agency responsible for
agricultural cooperation with African nations, which merged into the Committee of International
Technical Cooperation (CITC) in 1972. This organization spearheaded the ROC’s foreign
technical cooperation work, assisting partner nations with their agricultural development.
Simultaneously, Taiwan began to enter a period of rapid economic growth. In 1989, the
government established the International Economic Cooperation Development Fund (IECDF) to
provide economic assistance to developing partners.
As the variety of cooperative development projects expanded further, and the number of
overseas technical missions increased, the ROC government dissolved the IECDF in 1996, and
established an independent organization, the International Cooperation and Development Fund
(TaiwanICDF). The following year, the CITC was incorporated into the TaiwanICDF.
Mission
In its pursuit of international cooperation, and to advance the ROC’s diplomatic interests,
the TaiwanICDF maintains a mission of “working for humanity, sustainable development, and
economic progress.”
Sources of Funding
The TaiwanICDF was established with an initial endowment of NT$11.6 billion, which was
the net value of the funds in possession of the IECDF at the time of its issolution. Sources
of funding include the general fund, interest, returns on investments, and income from
commissions by the government or other institutions. As of December 31, 2012, the total
balance of all funds was NT$15.83 billion.
Operations
In accordance with the Statute for the Establishment of the International Cooperation
and Development Fund, the TaiwanICDF is registered as a consortium juridical person. The
operational scope of the TaiwanICDF covers the following duties and responsibilities:
1. Facilitating social and economic development in our partner countries;
2. Promoting better economic ties to partner countries;
3. Cooperating with international organizations, institutions or governments to facilitate social
and economic development in our partner countries;
4. Providing humanitarian assistance to international refugees or countries afflicted by natural
disasters;
5. Providing technical and human resources training to partner countries, and providing
technical assistance or services to foster industrial capacity;
6. Operating overseas missions to improve and develop the agricultural, industrial, economic,
medical and education sectors in our partner countries;
7. Other initiatives designed to bolster international cooperation and development or foster
good relations with other countries.
Cooperating Partners
The TaiwanICDF’s main partners are governments, international organizations or their
designated agencies, corporate bodies, and nongovernmental organizations.
Staff
As of December 31, 2012, the TaiwanICDF employed 104 domestic personnel and 176
overseas experts.
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