TaiwanICDF

Taiwan's overseas development assistance activities began in 1959 when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dispatched agricultural technical missions to the Republic of Vietnam to support agricultural development.^[1] In 1961, the ministry established the Pioneer Project Task Force to send agricultural teams to diplomatic partners in Africa. The task force was expanded in 1962 into the Taiwan-African Technical Cooperation Committee.^[2]

In 1963, the Taiwanese government established the Latin American Agricultural Technical Cooperation Group to provide agricultural assistance to countries in Latin America. This group was reorganized in 1968 as the Overseas Technical Cooperation Committee. In 1972, the Taiwan-African Technical Cooperation Committee and the Overseas Technical Cooperation Committee were merged to form the Overseas Technical Cooperation Committee, responsible for coordinating technical assistance abroad.^[3]

Following Taiwan's economic growth in the 1980s, the government created the Overseas Economic Cooperation Development Fund Management Committee in 1989 to provide financial assistance to developing partner countries.^[4]

To consolidate foreign aid programs and improve coordination, the Executive Yuan proposed the establishment of a unified institution. The Legislative Yuan passed the Act for the Establishment of the International Cooperation and Development Fund on 19 December 1995, and the act was promulgated on 15 January 1996. TaiwanICDF formally began operations on 1 July 1996, integrating the functions of the Overseas Economic Cooperation Development Fund Management Committee and the Overseas Technical Cooperation Committee.

Under the act governing its establishment, TaiwanICDF is overseen by a board of directors consisting of 11 to 15 members. The chairperson is appointed by the Executive Yuan. The organization also includes a board of supervisors consisting of three to five members, one of whom serves as executive supervisor. An advisory committee of seven to eleven members may also be appointed with approval from the board.

The chairperson of TaiwanICDF is typically held concurrently by the minister of foreign affairs.

TaiwanICDF implements development and technical cooperation programs in partner countries across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Asia-Pacific region, West Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe.

Projects typically focus on sectors such as agriculture, public health, education, environmental management, and information and communications technology. Examples include agricultural extension programs, aquaculture development projects, vocational education initiatives, maternal and infant health programs, and disaster resilience projects.^[5]

The organization also administers scholarship programs and training initiatives for students and professionals from partner countries. These programs allow participants to pursue higher education or technical training in Taiwan.^[6]

TaiwanICDF additionally supports humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations and manages financing programs, including microfinance initiatives and development loans, intended to support economic development in partner states.^[7]

In May 2021, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China announced sanctions against several Taiwanese officials, including then–TaiwanICDF chairperson Joseph Wu. In August 2022, the office also imposed sanctions on TaiwanICDF itself, prohibiting organizations, companies, and individuals in China from cooperating with the foundation.^[8] Additional sanctions were later announced against the organization's secretary-general.^[9]

• Foreign relations of Taiwan
• Official development assistance
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Taiwan)