Taipei, Dec. 7 (CNA) The Taiwan government has promised to contribute US$2 million (NT$63.1 million) over a five-year period to help grow the fishing industries in developing Pacific countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday.
The pledge was made Tuesday by the Taiwan delegation to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention (WCPFC) in the Cook Islands, and the US$2 million will be allocated starting in 2024, Greg Lee (李冠德), deputy head of MOFA’s Department of International Organizations, said at a news briefing.
The funds will be distributed over a five-year period though the WCPFC, a regional organization of which Taiwan is member, and will be used to implement conservation and management measures; provide financial, scientific, and technological assistance; and help developing member nations upgrade their fishing industries, Lee said.
Taiwan’s latest pledge to help expand fisheries in developing Pacific countries follows a similar contribution of US$2 million to the WCPFC, which was distributed 2017-2022 for the same purpose, according to MOFA.
Comprising 26 members, the WCPFC is a regional fisheries management organization that was established in 2004 to conserve and manage tuna and other highly migratory fish stocks across the western and central areas of the Pacific Ocean.
Taiwan, one of the founding members of the WCPFC, participates under the name Chinese Taipei.
The 20th Regular Session of the Commission of WCPFC is being held Dec. 4-8 in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
(by Joseph Yeh) Enditem/pc
