Foreign ministry drafting int'l cooperation and development law

“The law will provide a legal basis and serve as a guideline for our foreign aid activities. It will also help speed up our efforts to achieve a more systematic, professional, and productive approach,” Weber Shih, director-general of the MOFA's Department of Economic and Trade Affairs, said at a regular press briefing.

The draft bill will be discussed in the Executive Yuan and then forwarded to the Legislative Yuan for review, Shih said, adding that he hopes it will be given priority when the new session of the legislature opens in September.

The ruling and opposition parties have reached an initial understanding on the issue, he said.

The bill, which draws on the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), is aimed at standardizing the objectives, principles, scope, and means of Taiwan's international cooperation and development affairs, bringing them in line with international standards, Shih said.

According to Shih, the bill designates MOFA as the authority responsible for handling such affairs and for coordinating related efforts by other government agencies.

In addition, it may entrust foreign aid work to Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund as well as to private organizations and professionals, Shih said.

The draft bill also stipulates that the MOFA must be notified if foreign aid projects exceed a specified amount, according to Shih. For such projects, the opinions and assessments of an objective third party, such as a professional institution, will be taken into consideration, he added.

In the past, Taiwan's foreign aid programs have come under criticism in the international community as tools in its diplomatic tug-of-war with China to gain recognition by other countries.

Since President Ma Ying-jeou took office last May, the government has been considering an overhaul of its foreign aid program based on a cross-Taiwan Strait “diplomatic truce” under which Taiwan and China would tacitly agree not to vie for each other's allies.

On May 7, the MOFA released a white paper on Taiwan's foreign aid policy, outlining the country's vision for a specialized and reliable model to provide more effective and meaningful overseas assistance.

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