April 1, 2022
No. 074
At an international press conference held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today, Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu announced that a special account established to raise funds for Ukraine had amassed NT$930 million. Minister Wu also named a list of recipient countries for a third disbursement of donated funds. The event was attended by Filip Grzegorzewski, Head of the European Economic and Trade Office (EETO); Cyryl Kozaczewski, Director of the Polish Office in Taipei; the heads of the Slovak and Czech missions in Taiwan; Executive Director of the Relieve Disaster Foundation (RDF) Wu Xin-long; and representatives of the Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian, and Hungarian communities in Taiwan.
Minister Wu thanked the Taiwanese people for their generosity and concrete action in supporting Ukraine, and for standing together with the free and democratic international community. He said that this had shown the world Taiwan’s determination and efforts in assisting Ukrainian refugees, as well as the Taiwanese people’s desire to help those in need.
Minister Wu explained that MOFA set up a special account through the RDF to collect monetary donations shortly after Ukraine was invaded by Russia. He said that the donation drive, which was launched on March 2, had received an overwhelming response from the Taiwanese public, amassing more than NT$100 million by the following day and going on to collect 127,854 donations totaling NT$934,065,533 by the morning of April 1.
Minister Wu said that to ensure assistance gets to Ukrainian refugees quickly and effectively, on March 7, MOFA sent NT$100 million (around US$3.5 million) to Poland, which has taken in the highest number of Ukrainian refugees to date, with the funds to be allocated by the Polish government’s Governmental Strategic Reserves Agency. On March 15, MOFA disbursed a second tranche of funds worth US$11.5 million, with US$6.5 million going to Poland; US$1.5 million each to Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary; and US$500,000 to Lithuania. The funds will be distributed to relevant government agencies in these countries, Ukrainian aid funds supervised by these governments, local governments sheltering refugees, and designated relief organizations.
During the press conference, Minister Wu announced that to further bolster joint assistance efforts by Taiwan and its democratic allies, Taiwan will be making a third disbursement, donating US$1 million each to Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia—a total of US$5 million—to help settle Ukrainian refugees. He said that Taiwan will continue to use international and bilateral mechanisms to discuss with democratic partners around the world how to best provide assistance to Ukraine. Adding that Taiwanese agencies have been exploring how Ukrainian students can be helped to study in Taiwan, he stated he hoped to find even more direct channels through which to assist Ukrainians.
In addition to monetary donations, the public’s heartening response has also allowed MOFA to collect more than 31,000 boxes of in-kind donations totaling 650 tons. Twelve shipments have been sent to Slovakia since March 17, with more due to be flown to Poland going forward. Minister Wu thanked the governments of Slovakia and Poland for their assistance, saying this will allow Taiwan’s relief supplies to get to Ukraine as quickly as possible.
Responding to the kindness and proactive efforts of the people and government of Taiwan, EETO Head Grzegorzewski expressed gratitude for Taiwan’s generous monetary and in-kind donations, while also condemning Russia’s aggressive actions. He stressed that the compassion shown by the Taiwanese people was very touching and again served as a testament to the strong and resilient partnership between Taiwan and the European Union, which is based on the values of freedom and democracy.
Cyryl Kozaczewski, Director of the Polish Office in Taipei, thanked the Taiwanese people and MOFA for their vital and timely assistance at a time when large numbers of Ukrainian refugees have entered Poland, adding that this has underscored the solidarity among the international community.
Ms. Olha Kulish, a representative of Ukrainians living in Taiwan, conveyed heartfelt gratitude for the Taiwanese people’s generous donation of funds and material supplies, which has warmed the hearts of the Ukrainian people. She also thanked President Tsai Ing-wen, MOFA, and the selfless volunteers, emphasizing that the people of Ukraine will always remember Taiwan’s charitable actions. She expressed confidence that Taiwan would be able to deliver these funds to all those Ukrainians who are in urgent need of help. She also conveyed her hope that once the war has ended, Taiwan and Ukraine will enhance bilateral exchanges and cooperation and develop a closer friendship and substantive relations.
MOFA will remain in close contact with the recipient governments to ensure that funds are put to the best possible use and support Ukrainians as they continue their tireless resistance. MOFA will also continue to inform the public in an open and transparent manner how it is using funds collected through the RDF account. (E)