About the ROC-CAED Fund

I. History and Establishment
Agreement on the Republic of China (Taiwan)-Central American Economic Development Fund was signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (ROC) and Central American representatives during the Mixed Commission for Cooperation between Countries of the Central American Isthmus and the ROC on July 3, 1998. The Fund was created to promote and deepen economic, trade and investment cooperation between member countries.

II. Organization and Management
The Fund is managed by a Board of Directors consisting of representatives of nations of Central America. The Foreign Minister of the ROC is the Chairman of the Board and the Foreign Ministers of the above-mentioned countries are Board Members. The Secretariat of the Fund is located in the TaiwanICDF with a Secretary and support staff who facilitate Board Meetings, follow up on the resolutions of Board Meetings and maintain ongoing programs. The proceeds of the Fund are managed by the TaiwanICDF through a special account.

III. Resources
In accordance with Article IV of the Agreement of the Fund, only the earnings of the Fund may be utilized; the contributions made by the ROC and CABEI shall be maintained in perpetuity. Available resources are allocated to specific projects and programs listed below:
(1)Projects and programs designed to share macro and microeconomic development experiences by and between the ROC and Central American member countries;
(2)The design, study and preparation of projects and programs for regional economic and trade integration and development in Central American member countries;
(3)Feasibility studies for social-economic development projects and programs in Central American member countries;
(4)Policy and institutional development for macro and sector reforms, including but not limited to, improvements in trade, investment and taxation systems;
(5)Enhancing capacity building in the public sector;
(6)Scholarship programs for studies relating to economic development and other relevant training in the ROC;
(7)Financing for the operations of the Central American Trade Office (CATO) in Taipei;
(8)Management costs for the Fund;
(9)Any other items determined by the Board in accordance with Article V of the Agreement of the Fund.

IV. Projects/Programs
Any member of the Board has the right to submit project proposals to the Board for approval. Should the Board unanimously approve any project proposal, resources from the Fund may be allocated to implement the project. Fourteen projects have been approved by the Board, of which two remain under implementation.

Project 1 - Executive Training Program (Completed)
Approval Date: Sep. 6, 1999 (3rd Board Meeting)
Project Description: The Program provided the necessary funding for one scholarship per country per year at a prominent U.S. institution offering mid-career executive public policy or public management programs. The Program facilitated professional training for officials of the Foreign or other Ministries of Central American member countries and the ROC.

Program 2 - Central America Trade Office, CATO (Under Implementation)
Approval Date: Jun. 26, 2000 (4th Board Meeting)
Project Description: Each year the Board reviews the CATO’s annual budget and the Secretariat of the Fund follows up on the Board’s resolution by allocating an approved budget to the CATO to fund its administrative expenses, including personnel expenses and operations of the office; and promotional projects, which comprises promotional sub-projects for individual country promotion and regional joint promotion.

Project 3 - Seminar on the Central American Technical Education and Vocational Training Program (Completed)
Approval Date: Dec. 13, 2000 (5th Board Meeting)
Project Description: The seminar reviewed different systems and approaches to technical education and vocational training in Central American countries, as well as Costa Rica’s development experiences in technical education and vocational training, thereby sharing the experiences and strengths of different countries in these fields and facilitating discussion of the development of future cooperative programs.

Project 4 - Scholarship Program for Central American Students Studying in Taiwan (Completed)
Project Description: The Program aimed to build capacity among the Fund’s Central American member countries by cultivating young talent and professionals through Taiwan’s higher educational programs. Full scholarships were awarded only to qualified individuals from Central American member countries, to undertake undergraduate, graduate and doctorate programs in Taiwan. By December 2005, a total of 64 students from the Fund’s member countries had benefited from the scholarship program.

Project 5 – OSPESCA’s Strengthening Project (Completed)
Approval Date: Dec. 13, 2000 (5th Board Meeting)
Project Description: The Project was designed to improve the function of the Organization of Central American Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector (OSPESCA). Project operations included: (i) strengthening the regional normative organization; (ii) updating OSPESCA’s 2001-2005 regional strategy, (iii) approving the Tratado Marco Centroamericano (Framework Treaty on Central America); (iv) providing technical support pursuant to the establishment of new legal frameworks within the fisheries and aquaculture sector; (v) strengthening OSPESCA’s institutional capacity; and (vi) making regionwide revisions to the administration of Central America’s principal fisheries.

Project 6 - Support to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Central American Isthmus and the ROC for the Ratification of Integration Instruments (Completed)
Approval Date: Dec. 12, 2003 (11th Board Meeting)
Project Description: The project aimed to facilitate sustainable economic and social development in the Central American region through the implementation of different instruments, including a Free Trade Agreement with the ROC, which was being negotiated in the region to reach concrete solutions that would facilitate and improve conditions for foreign investment and promote Central American trade.

Project 7 - Scholarship Program for Human Resources Formation and Strengthening in Socio-Economic and Agricultural and Farming Development in Central America (Completed)
Approval Date: Dec. 12, 2003 (11th Board Meeting)
Project Description: The Project was executed in two phases, with disbursements being distributed equally between the two phases: (i) the Zamorano Scholarship Program; and (ii) the Scholarship Program of the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) of the ROC.

Project 8 - Promoting Relations between the ROC and Friendly Countries by Way of Best Practice Transfers (Completed)
Approval Date: Dec. 12, 2003 (11th Board Meeting)
Project Description: The purpose of this project was to advance the sharing of successful experiences, so as to facilitate sustainable development and strengthen the cooperative relationships between the ROC (Taiwan) and the Central American Integration System (SICA) member countries. The project was divided into two phases. The first phase required each member country of the Fund to provide three best practices. The second phase, which was not implemented, was a one-day seminar designed to exchange and discuss the aforementioned best practices.

Project 9 - Participation of the Central American Region at EXPO-AICHI 2005 (Completed)
Approval Date: Jan. 19, 2005 (12th Board Meeting)
Project Description: The purpose of this activity was to present Central America as a region in harmony with its environment and highlight its biological, historical, and cultural diversity and its vocation for peace; and to promote Central America as an attractive region for tourism, investment and international commerce.

Program 10 - Scholarship Program for Central American Students Studying in Taiwan (Under Implementation)
Approval Date: Feb. 21, 2006 (13th Board Meeting)
Project Description: Based on the successful experience of the previous, four-year program, as well as the need to maintain support for human resources development, Taiwan proposed to expand the “Scholarship Program for Central American Students Studying in Taiwan” into a continuous program, to be funded by the Fund, to support the provision of undergraduate, graduate and doctorate degrees.

Project 11 - Policymakers Seminar on ICT in Education for Central America (Completed)
Approval Date: Apr. 18, 2006 (Extraordinary Board Meeting)
Project Description: The seminar allowed participants to review regional efforts and helped them to identify elements and issues involved in the development of a National Policy for the integration of ICT in education, as well as establish a strategic plan toward the implementation of such policies. The seminar consisted of three components: (i) face-to-face seminar; (ii) follow-up strategy (distance guidance); and (iii) videoconference sessions for sharing and evaluating the outcomes of the seminar.

Project 12 - Expansion of Project for the Design, Construction and Equipment of the Permanent Headquarters of the Unified General Secretariat of the Central American Integration System (Completed)
Approval Date: Jun. 22, 2009 (Extraordinary Board Meeting)
Project Description: The purpose of the Project was to fund the construction of the SICA headquarters, thereby improving the efficiency of SICA’s administration and facilitating integration among Central American countries. The new headquarters, which were inaugurated on July 22, 2011, were named “The House of Central America.”

Project 13 - Inviting Business Leaders from Central American Allied Countries to the Republic of China (Taiwan) 2011-2012 (Completed)
Approval Date: Jan. 14, 2011 (18th Board Meeting)
Project Description: Each year Taiwan’s embassies in Central American member countries recommend a number of business leaders, entrepreneurs or financial experts to visit Taiwan for one week. During their time in Taiwan, participants strengthen bilateral trade and investment relations through a series of specially arranged seminars, meetings, workshops and similar activities.

Project 14 - Assisting Enterprises of the ROC-CAEDF Member Countries to Jointly Explore Asia-Pacific Markets by Holding a Business Seminar in Taipei and Participating in FHC China 2012 in Shanghai (Completed)
Approval Date: April 27, 2012 (20th Board Meeting)
Project Description: Assist the Fund’s member countries to attend the “Business Seminar for Enterprises from Central America & Taiwan to Jointly Explore the Asia-Pacific Markets” to be held in Taipei and to participate in the “FHC China 2012 (16th International Exhibition for Food, Drink, Hospitality, Foodservice, Bakery & Retail Industries)” to be held in Shanghai, in order to expand quality food products from Central America into the cross-strait and Asian markets and to strengthen the comprehensive relations between the ROC (Taiwan) and its Central American allies.

• Update: 2018/09/26
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