Cebu, The Philippines, 6 September 2015 – Chinese Taipei has agreed to voluntarily contribute USD 700,000 in additional funding for APEC member initiatives to enhance human security and establish greater economic integration across the Asia-Pacific.
A Memorandum of Understanding on the contribution was signed on Sunday in Cebu by officials from Chinese Taipei’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the APEC Secretariat in Singapore, which administers member projects that put the policy directives of the region’s Leaders and Ministers into action.
The donation will fund projects through the remainder of 2015, including those advanced by APEC Senior Officials meeting here this weekend to build secure, inclusive trade and growth among member economies. It will also fund research conducted by the APEC Policy Support Unit to bolster joint work towards these goals.
“Chinese Taipei is seeking to build the capacity of APEC members to mitigate shared threats to people and society, and advance regional economic integration,” said, Ambassador Pei-yung Hsu, APEC Senior Official for Chinese Taipei. “Our donation supports deeper collaboration in the region vital to delivering prosperity that is both far-reaching and lasting.”
APEC members fund around 100 projects annually to bridge knowledge and resource gaps between them and realize common objectives. In 2014, they contributed USD 9 million for projects such as technical workshops, training sessions and research. Over 2,000 have been undertaken since APEC initiated project work and founded a Secretariat in 1993. Up to 150 projects may be under implementation at any given time.
Currently, Chinese Taipei is driving capacity building projects to improve natural disaster resilience and business resumption in APEC economies. Emphasis is on the promotion of business continuity planning among small and medium enterprises that drive cross-border production and supply chains. Typhoon and flood risk management and the application of Big Data and Open Data to strengthen emergency preparedness are additional focus points.
Chinese Taipei is further boosting APEC work to improve food safety across supply chains as well as energy security, with attention to the facilitation of regional trade in liquefied natural gas. To promote startup growth and commercial innovation, it will also host small and medium enterprise officials, private investors and next generation tech entrepreneurs in Taipei in October for the APEC Accelerator Network Summit and Global Challenge for Early Stage Investment.
“The APEC Secretariat welcomes Chinese Taipei’s donation to the APEC Support Fund, Human Security Sub Fund and Policy Support Unit,” said Executive Director Dr Alan Bollard. “Contributions to capacity building initiatives in APEC facilitate cooperative policy development and implementation that is of considerable value to all member economies.”
“Building more integrated, sustainable economies is a complex task that requires a high level of coordination and technical acumen within and between them,” Dr Bollard concluded. “The more closely Chinese Taipei and fellow APEC members work together, the more they will be able to secure the benefits that people and businesses throughout the region are expecting.”
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