Taiwan has donated US$1 million to establish a fund for Polish local governments and non-governmental organizations to aid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war humanitarian crisis. In a press release on Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry announced that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been jointly signed by Union of Polish Metropolises President Tadeusz Truskolaski, Mayor of Poznań Jacek Jaśkowiak, and Taiwan Representative to Poland Sharon S. N. Wu (吳尚年).
According to the MOU, the new fund will subsidize the Polish integration of Ukrainian refugees, education improvements, and preparations for future developments. In addition, Wu points out that the MOU not only demonstrates Taiwan's firm commitment to democracy but also hopes to use this cooperation opportunity to work with more Polish local governments.
Wu says that Poland has selflessly accepted large numbers of Ukrainian people who were forced to flee their homes. Alliance president Truskolaski confirms that Poland has hosted more than 3 million refugees to date and says he is pleased that the Taiwan government supports Ukraine, which is fighting for the free world.
The Union of Polish Metropolises was established in 1990 and includes 12 member cities Warsaw, Białystok, Poznan, Bydgoszcz, Gdańsk, Katowice, Kraków, Lublin, Łódź, Rzeszów, Szczecin and Wrocław. The union governs a total Polish population of nearly 6.8 million, accounting for nearly a fifth of Poland's population.