Taiwan has given US$500,000 to the Pan-American Development Foundation (PADF).
The donation is the fourth Taiwan has made as part of a cooperative program with the PADF to fund aid and reconstruction in disaster areas. The recipient of the latest donation is Taiwan’s diplomatic ally Belize
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The money will fund disaster preparedness and a climate change program on Belize’s Caribbean coast. Around 11,000 residents of the area are expected to benefit.
A ceremony to mark the donation took place in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, local time. Taiwan’s representative to the US, Shen Lyu-shun, was in attendance. At the ceremony, Belize’s ambassador to the US, Nestor E. Mendez, thanked Taiwan.
Mendez said that over 40% of Belize’s population lives along the Caribbean coast, and Taiwan’s donation will play a crucial role in strengthening the country’s ability to deal with extreme weather and disasters.