TaiwanICDF marks 30 years with book tracing Taiwan's aid evolution

Taipei, Aug. 14 (CNA) The Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) on Friday launched a book tracing its evolution from a traditional foreign aid agency into a platform linking Taiwan's technology and expertise with global development needs.

Published to mark the organization's 30th anniversary, "TaiwanICDF at 30: Shaping the Future Together" reviews three decades of international development work since the fund was established in 1996.

Speaking at the Taipei launch event, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), who chairs the TaiwanICDF, said the book documents Taiwan's transformation from an aid recipient into "a global provider of solutions."

Lin said the fund's work has expanded from agricultural missions and conventional healthcare assistance to capacity building, digital transformation, smart technologies and sustainable development.

Taiwan now provides partner countries with semiconductor workforce training, sovereign artificial intelligence technology, smart healthcare systems, green energy and climate resilience solutions, he said.

"Diplomacy is not an abstract concept," Lin said. "It is a powerful bridge that connects Taiwan's advanced capabilities with global needs."

As examples of the fund's recent work, Lin cited the planned Taiwan-Paraguay Sovereign AI Computing Center, agricultural and digital governance projects in Saint Lucia, smart healthcare systems in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and programs supplying fresh produce to schoolchildren in Tuvalu.

The TaiwanICDF will expand cooperation with aid agencies and multilateral development banks while strengthening educational and trade exchanges, Lin said.

TaiwanICDF Secretary General Huang Yu-lin (黃玉霖) said international development cooperation must increasingly focus on helping partners build lasting capabilities rather than simply delivering resources or implementing individual projects.

"The success of cooperation should not be measured only by what we have delivered, but by what our partners become capable of doing," Huang said.

The fund should continue evolving into a platform linking Taiwan's knowledge, technology, financial institutions and people with partners worldwide, he added.

Belizean Ambassador Katherine Vanessa Meighan, a TaiwanICDF scholarship alumna, said studying in Taiwan 21 years ago changed her life and gave her a lasting connection to the country.

The fund's work in education, agriculture, infrastructure, technology and healthcare has similarly affected countless people, Meighan said, adding that such cooperation builds the trust and shared values needed for lasting diplomatic relationships.