Page 68 - 國合會2016電子書-英文

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Anniversary

2016 marks the 20th anniversary of the TaiwanICDF. To help fellow
Taiwanese better understand Taiwan’s efforts in international development
cooperation, we hosted a series of events and activities, including
the publication of the book “Thinking Big to Embrace the World – the
Touching Stories of Taiwan,” the retrospective Exhibition of the Stories of
Taiwan’s Foreign Aid Endeavors, and the launch of a video in celebration
of our anniversary. To commemorate this significant milestone of Taiwan’s
participation in international development assistance work, in this year’s Establishment of the Committee of
annual report, we have devoted the following pages to introducing the
International Technical Cooperation
course of Taiwan’s experience in foreign aid, the TaiwanICDF’s core In 1972, the government merged the
operations and noteworthy achievements, as well as contributions from SATCC with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’
people, schools and institutions from northern, central, southern and Committee of International Technical
eastern Taiwan. Looking ahead to the next 20 years, the TaiwanICDF will Cooperation to form a new entity, the
continue to expand opportunities for Taiwan’s involvement in international Committee of International Technical
development assistance and share the core values and invaluable assets Cooperation (CITC). The CITC was tasked
of Taiwan’s experience. We will highlight Taiwan’s efforts and participation with organizing and dispatching Taiwan’s
technical missions in agriculture, fisheries
in the global community, and contribute towards world peace, stability and handicrafts, as well as medical
and prosperity. missions in friendly developing nations.
These missions assisted these nations in
agricultural development, and provided
medical and health care to help them
achieve food self-sufficiency and improve
medical care and sanitation environments.

Taiwan’s experience: Transforming

from aid recipient to donor

Early development: Rise of Taiwan’s overseas
Aid granted to Taiwan technical assistance
From the 1950s to 1960s, Taiwan received Taiwan began offering assistance to other
foreign aid from international organizations countries in the form of technical cooperation in
and developed countries. This amounted 1959, when a team of agricultural specialists was
to approximately US$100 million each year, dispatched to Vietnam to assist in its agricultural
equivalent to about 9 percent of gross development. In 1961, under Operation
domestic product at the time. Thanks to this Vanguard, technical missions helped improve
aid, government policies and the joint efforts agricultural production in many emerging
of the people, we were able to develop the independent African countries. In 1962, the Sino-
country and its economy, leading to what is Africa Technical Cooperation Committee (SATCC)
now widely known as the “Taiwan Miracle.” was set up to replace Operation Vanguard, to
The experiences we accumulated through further expand the program. In the following 50
Taiwan’s own development process became years, agricultural teams and technical missions
the core values and invaluable assets for worked across countries in Africa, Asia, Central
sharing with partner countries and the and South Americas, the Caribbean, and the
international community. Middle East, providing essential assistance to
our partner countries and acting at the frontline
in fostering cooperation.

1950 1960 1970
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