Taiwan to help Caribbean allies foster talent, sustainable tourism

Taipei, June 7 (CNA) Taiwan and three of its Caribbean allies will work together to enhance polytechnic education and boost sustainable tourism in the region, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

In a statement Saturday, MOFA said Taiwan would collaborate with the Washington-based Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) on an initiative titled "EcoYouth Ventures: Enhancing Sustainable Tourism in the Caribbean through Youth Empowerment and STEM Education."

According to the statement, a ceremony marking the partnership was held Friday in Washington, D.C., where Taiwan's representative to the United States Alexander Yui (俞大㵢) signed an agreement with PADF Executive Director Katie Taylor.

The statement offered few details about the initiative or Taiwan's role in it, but Yui was cited as saying it would benefit around 1,500 students in the three Caribbean allies -- Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -- in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The ultimate goal of the initiative, which will be implemented in the three countries over a two-year period, is to strengthen STEM education to "facilitate the development of sustainable tourism" in the region, the statement said.

Taylor, meanwhile, said she hoped the initiative would further expand education and employment opportunities for Caribbean youth while strengthening the sustainability of the region's tourism sector, according to the release.

Founded in 1962 by the Organization of American States, the PADF works to improve livelihoods, strengthen disaster resilience and promote human rights and sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean, MOFA said.

The ministry said it has worked with the PADF on disaster prevention and recovery, infrastructure development and women's empowerment, among other projects, since 2012.