"TaiwanICDF at 30: Shaping the Future Together" — 30th Anniversary Celebration and International Symposium Takes Center Stage

(中央社訊息服務20260702 16:14:10)The International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) hosted its 30th anniversary celebration and an international symposium on July 1 at the Grand Hotel, Taipei. Centered around the theme "TaiwanICDF at 30: Shaping the Future Together", the grand event was presided over by Minister of Foreign Affairs and TaiwanICDF Chairman Lin Chia-Lung.

Distinguished international dignitaries traveled to Taiwan to attend the grand occasion, including Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Kalani R. Kaneko; Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade of the Kingdom of Eswatini, Manqoba Khumalo; and Minister of Public Health and Social Assistance of the Republic of Guatemala, Joaquín Barnoya. Key international partners also attended to offer their congratulations and witness this monumental milestone in Taiwan’s international development cooperation journey, including Raymond Greene, Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT); Kazuyuki Katayama, Representative of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association; and Lutz Güllner, Head of the European Economic and Trade Office (EETO).

The celebration commenced with the premiere of a 30th anniversary commemorative video. In the video, President Lai Ching-te personally recounted the foundational history of the TaiwanICDF, framing the historical trajectory of Taiwan's transformation from an "aid recipient" into a "pivotal force leading global technological development and international cooperation." The video highlighted the TaiwanICDF’s strategic shift in 2025 toward institutional reform, featuring the establishment of specialized departments for global partnerships and development finance, alongside the upgrading of overseas technical missions into "resident offices" to comprehensively deepen regional engagement and international multilateral connectivity.

The commemorative film also proclaimed the concept of mutual prosperity encapsulated in Minister Lin Chia-Lung’s initiative, "Let's Raise Fish with the World," which precisely operationalizes Taiwan's "Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project" and "Eight Flagship Projects," thereby ushering in a brand-new era for Taiwan's international cooperation and development system. Prominent international statesmen, including President Santiago Peña of Paraguay, President Surangel Whipps Jr. of Palau, and Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla of Eswatini, also delivered overseas congratulations in the video.

In his opening remarks, Minister Lin Chia-Lung stated that over the past 30 years, the TaiwanICDF has witnessed Taiwan's journey from receiving aid to providing aid, and from participating to leading. The organization has consistently deepened international development cooperation with professionalism and resilience. Facing shifting global dynamics and sustainable development challenges, and with the robust support of President Lai Ching-te and Premier Cho Jung-tai, the TaiwanICDF will continue to integrate Taiwan's advantages in technology, industry, and governance. By working hand-in-hand with partner nations to drive mutual prosperity, Taiwan will implement the core philosophy of "Taiwan Can Help, Partners Can Lead" across the globe.

In his address, Kalani R. Kaneko noted that over the 28 years of diplomatic ties between Taiwan and the Marshall Islands, close collaboration with the TaiwanICDF across medical care, education, agriculture, and aviation has delivered tangible and concrete improvements to the quality of life in Marshallese communities. As they celebrate the 30th anniversary of the TaiwanICDF, the Marshall Islands pledges to remain Taiwan’s most trusted partner and will firmly support Taiwan’s participation in the international community.

Ambassador Donya L. Francis of Saint Christopher (Saint Kitts) and Nevis to the Republic of China (Taiwan) delivered blessings on behalf of the diplomatic corps. Sharing his personal experience of studying in Taiwan under a TaiwanICDF scholarship, Ambassador Francis bore witness to the fruits of the TaiwanICDF’s human resources cultivation efforts, emphasizing a partnership anchored in shared values and mutual trust.

Raymond Greene reviewed the historic U.S.-Taiwan partnership from 1951 to 1965, which assisted Taiwan in transforming from an agricultural society into an industrial and technological powerhouse. He commended the TaiwanICDF for its 30 years of dedicated work in agriculture, public health, education, and ICT, noting that its technical cooperation and sharing of practical experience have helped partner nations cultivate local talent and enhance self-reliance. Amid the ongoing evolution of global development assistance models, Director Greene expressed his anticipation for continued collaboration with the TaiwanICDF to advance critical global priorities such as energy security, public health, and supply chain resilience.

Kazuyuki Katayama cited Confucius’ idiom "At thirty, one stands firm” to commend the TaiwanICDF’s extraordinary contributions to international development cooperation and humanitarian aid over the past three decades. He remarked that as Taiwan evolved from an aid recipient into an international development partner, the TaiwanICDF has fully demonstrated its capacity to share Taiwan’s development experience. Representative Katayama also recalled the mutual support between Taiwan and Japan during major natural disasters, expressing hope for further deepened cooperation to collectively enhance global resilience.

Lutz Güllner pointed out that the TaiwanICDF has earned a high degree of trust within the international community, becoming a reliable partner that works intimately with local communities to generate sustainable outcomes. He noted that the "Taiwan Model" proposed by the TaiwanICDF reflects the international community's new expectations for Official Development Assistance (ODA). This evolving development strategy resonates with the ideals of the European Union, and he looks forward to deepening collaboration through the EU's "Global Gateway" initiative to co-fortify the development resilience of partner countries.

Furthermore, the TaiwanICDF curated a themed exhibition zone at the venue. The exhibition featured large-scale display panels chronicling the TaiwanICDF's step-by-step footprints in foreign aid over the past 30 years and outlining its blueprint for innovative reform. For the first time, several historic artifacts repatriated from technical missions worldwide were unveiled to the public. These included a classic black tea box from the 1990-1996 Guatemala Tea Cultivation Project—a product that remains highly popular locally to this day—and the original signed agreements of the TaiwanICDF's very first international cooperation projects with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI). These landmark objects not only stand as testaments to the many glorious years that the TaiwanICDF has walked shoulder-to-shoulder with allies and international organizations, but they also embody Taiwan’s irreplaceable contributions to global development cooperation.