3
Operations
to enable better tracking and more effective, gradual
implementation.
Details of work done by overseas missions and
commissioned projects and technical assistance projects
over the past year are described below.
Overseas Missions
MOFA commissions the TaiwanICDF to operate
overseas missions. In 2012, we oversaw the operations
of 28 technical, medical, industrial service and trade
missions, where a total of 74 cooperation projects were
under implementation, overseen by 164 technicians.
A total of 11 technical missions were in operation
across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, with 21 projects
covering horticulture, agronomy, animal husbandry,
aquaculture, landscaping and transportation and
infrastructure. Five technical and medical missions
were in operation in Africa, with 10 projects covering
agronomy, horticulture and medicine. Fifteen technical
missions were in operation in Central and South
America and the Caribbean, with 43 projects covering
horticulture, aquaculture, agronomy, animal husbandry,
bamboo processing, trade and investment and industrial
technology development. By the end of 2012, a total
of nine projects had been successfully handed over to
partner countries and remained under implementation.
The remaining 65 projects continued to be implemented
according to schedule. These projects focus on building
the capacity of host country personnel to achieve
development synergies through technical cooperation.
Commissioned Projects
In 2012, we handled 18 MOFA-commissioned
projects, including the ICT Technical Cooperation Project
in the Caribbean; 2012 Satellite Monitoring of Forest,
Natural Resources and Mitigation of Natural Disasters in
Nicaragua and Honduras using GIS and RS; and the Seed
Potato Production Project in Swaziland. Twelve projects
were implemented using project management systems by
12 project managers stationed overseas. These projects
involved work in vocational training, ICT, one town one
product, tourism, horticulture and aquaculture. The
remaining six projects, implemented to meet the needs
of certain partner countries, involved issues such as
personnel recruitment and project research performed by
our own personnel.
We continue to develop new projects with the goal
of strengthening cooperation with our partners. These
include, for example, the Strengthening the Control of
Huanglongbing and the Implementation of Integrated Pest
Management in Citrus Project (HLB Project), in Central
America and parts of the Caribbean; the Banana Black
Sigatoka Prevention and Treatment Project, in St. Lucia;
and the Les Cayes Rice, Maize and Bean Development
Project, in Haiti. Out of 23 projects currently under
development, a formal project contract has been signed
for the HLB Project, while the remaining projects remain
under appraisal.
Technical Assistance
Technical assistance
1
(TA) can play a critical role
in international cooperation and development strategy
by forming a basis for sustainable development. TA can
help build a country’s overall capacity by transferring,
integrating, distributing or using know-how, services,
technology, science or engineering knowledge. This
is achieved through personnel training, research and
educational activities.
We have drawn upon Taiwan’s successful
development experience and comparative advantages
to help partner countries implement TA projects in areas
such as agriculture, small- and medium-sized enterprise
(SME) development, ICT and public health and medicine.
We tailor our efforts according to our partners’ actual
needs, taking into account their ecological, cultural,
social, economic and political characteristics. We also
consider their varying levels of development and the
unique problems and challenges they face.
In recent years, we have also actively sought to
integrate the three areas of funding, human resources and
technology to reflect international trends in sustainable
development and poverty alleviation strategies. At the
project preparation stage, we have worked closely
with cooperating countries to confirm the feasibility of
projects. We have also provided TA in the form of technical
consulting services, personnel training and policy-related
research to bolster the economic development of such
countries.
In addition to the continued implementation of our
own projects and those commissioned by MOFA, we also
initiated preparatory work for more than 30 potential new
projects over the past year.
In terms of building capacity among personnel in
1
Technical assistance as defined by the Asian Development Bank includes project preparatory technical assistance (PPTA), capacity development technical assistance (CDTA), policy and advisory
technical assistance (PATA) and research and development technical assistance (RDTA).
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