Taiwan donated US$1 million and 20 sets of demining equipment July 9 to the U.S.-led global coalition to defeat the Islamic State (ISIS) and support the safe return of families in Syria.
 
Stanley Kao, head of Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S., pledged the contribution on behalf of the government in a ceremony at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington. U.S. officials in attendance included Terry Wolff, deputy special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS at the U.S. Department of State; Laura Stone, U.S. acting deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs; and John Norris, managing director of the Washington Office of the American Institute in Taiwan.
 
As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan is proud to support efforts in fighting terrorism, Kao said. “The contribution once again reaffirms Taiwan’s unwavering commitment as a strong and reliable partner.”
 
Expressing gratitude for Taiwan’s donation, Wolff said it will help further the efforts of demining contractors in the region. “Why the contribution is so critical is because we’re using civilian demining companies in both Iraq and Syria, and in Syria in particular we don’t have very many of them and so this contribution helps keep the demining companies operating,” he added.
 
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government and Taiwan civil society organizations have provided US$23 million in funding and delivered wide-ranging humanitarian aid since 2013. The country’s donations include 350 temporary housing units and a mobile hospital to offer shelter and medical care to refugees.
 
The 77-member coalition, of which Taiwan was an early joiner, aims to defeat ISIS and help affected families in Iraq and Syria return home. (KWS-E)
 
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