On April 10, 2024, Taiwan Representative to the United States Amb. Alexander Tah-Ray Yui joined Managing Director Ingrid Larson of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) to sign the Arrangement for Technical Cooperation in the Caribbean, witnessed by Counselor Clinton White of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and related officials both from the U.S. Department of State and Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative (TECRO) in the United States.
Roger F. Nyhus, United States Ambassador to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean and the OECS, USAID Special Representative to Eastern and Southern Caribbean Mervyn Farroe, Taiwan Ambassador to Saint Lucia Peter Chia-yen Chen, Ambassador to Saint Christopher and Nevis Michael Lin and Ambassador to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Fiona Huei-Chun Fan also witnessed the signing ceremony online.
In Amb. Yui’s remarks, he noted that this not only marks the signing of the Arrangement for Technical Cooperation in the Caribbean between TECRO and AIT, but also the 45th anniversary of the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act. No one would imagine 45 years ago that the partnership between Taiwan and the United States could grow to be as strong and wide-reaching as it has, especially with regard to international development.
The Arrangement for Technical Agreement in the Caribbean is the implementation of the MOU on Development and Humanitarian Assistance Cooperation signed in November 2022. It underscores the shared commitment of Taiwan and the United States to leverage their respective expertise and resources to address pressing challenges and unlock opportunities in the Caribbean. For example, in Saint Lucia, this collaborative initiative builds upon the strong foundation of past cooperation between
Taiwan, the United States, and the Government of Saint Lucia across diverse sectors. From youth and women empowerment, education to agriculture, the tripartite partnership has yielded tangible benefits and positive outcomes, underscoring the transformative power of international cooperation.
One notable example of successful collaboration is in the education sector, where the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan), the U.S. Embassy in Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, and the OECS, and the Government of Saint Lucia have worked in partnership to transform the education system through digital content, such as enhancing educators and students’ ICT skills and knowledge, navigating online resources, tracking student progress, and to equip educators, students, and stakeholders with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to leverage technology effectively for enhancing teaching, learning, and educational outcomes.
In addition to the ICT in education programme, the partnership between Taiwan and the United States has facilitated knowledge exchange, skills development, business consulting and capacity building across Saint Lucian youth and women and agricultural sectors, empowering local communities and fostering sustainable development pathways in Saint Lucia.
In the future, by deepening collaboration and harnessing synergies, TaiwanICDF and USAID will establish closer working relations through regular exchange and sharing successful experience with each other in more fields of education, agriculture, climate change, disaster preparedness, citizen security, cybersecurity and digital development, and women’s economic empowerment, among others, to make even greater strides in advancing prosperity, resilience, and sustainable development in the Caribbean region.