Taiwan donates US$380 million in foreign development aid

Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New Zealand

Taiwan donates US$380 million in foreign development aid

Taiwan contributed US$380 million in official development assistance (ODA)
in 2010, accounting for 0.1 percent of the country's gross national income
(GNI) for the year, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said
Thursday.

"The figure means that US$0.1 out of every US$100 earned by our people
during the year was donated toward international aid," said Stanley Kao,
director-general of the MOFA's Department of Economic and Trade Affairs.

Kao said the ministry recently completed a 2010 ODA statistical report and
delivered it to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) in line with general international practice.

"It marks the first time we have reported our annual foreign aid data to the
OECD," Kao said, adding that the move highlights the professionalism and
transparency of Taiwan's ODA operations.

ODA is a term coined by the Paris-based OECD to measure aid to developing
countries and territories. The ODA report comprises two major collections of
data on the volume, origin and types of aid and the flow of resources to
over 150 developing countries and territories. The annual ODA report is
widely used by academics and journalists as a convenient indicator of
international aid flow.

Noting that the OECD groups 20-plus developed countries, Kao said the OECD
has a reputation as "a rich man's club" whose 2010 official development aid
reached 0.28 percent of its total GNI.

"In comparison, there is still room for Taiwan to increase its foreign aid,"
Kao pointed out.

He further said that although Taiwan is not an OECD member, the MOFA has
decided to send an ODA report to the organization annually from this year
onward to signify Taiwan's commitment to fulfilling its international duty
of helping developing countries.

ENDS

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