Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) Deputy Minister Tu Wen-jane led a delegation to New Delhi, India, to attend meetings of 77^th Session of the Executive Committee of the African-Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO) and the 21^st General Session of the AARDO Conference, which were held from February 18 to 24, 2025. Taiwan was elected to its third consecutive term as a member of the Executive Committee, indicating that Taiwan’s various activities—including hosting study visits to Taiwan by high-level officials, organizing international agricultural academic conferences and training classes, and assisting young people from AARDO member countries to come to Taiwan to study agriculture—are valued by member countries.

The MOA states that AARDO was founded in 1962, with its headquarters in New Delhi, and it currently has 32 member countries from Asia and Africa and two associate members. Its main purpose is to hold regular training and study programs with respect to issues including agricultural and rural development, the growth of small enterprises, land reform, empowerment of rural women and youth, food security, and climate change, with the aim of strengthening agricultural cooperation, technical exchanges, and capacity building among member countries. It is a very significant international agricultural organization for the Asian-African region.

Taiwan joined AARDO (as the Republic of China) in 1968 and has long worked closely with the organization’s Secretariat and member countries to hold relevant activities, including training programs for agricultural technical personnel, dispatching of experts to provide technical support, and hosting study visits to Taiwan by ministerial-level officials and experts from member countries. Taiwan has moreover held a seat on the Executive Committee for multiple terms, deeply engaging in organizational operations and decision-making. In addition, in 2019 AARDO established a “Corpus Fund,” and Taiwan has been active in making contributions to and managing the fund, with the goal of stabilizing AARDO’s finances and expanding relevant activities and programs in order to continue to promote agricultural and rural development in the Asian-African region.

The MOA explains that at these most recent meetings delegates mainly discussed AARDO activities, membership contributions, and the three-year Work Programme and budgets for 2025 to 2027. They also elected the Executive Committee for the next three-year term. During the most recent Executive Committee and AARDO Conference meetings, Taiwan’s representatives actively participated in discussions and emphasized the importance of AARDO to Taiwan and our continued support for the organization as well as our proactive organizing of relevant activities and programs for member countries from Asia and Africa. Once again Taiwan won the unanimous support and approval of member countries to serve on the Executive Committee for its next term as well as on the management committee for the Corpus Fund. In the future Taiwan will continue to assist countries in Asia and Africa to promote the transformation and upgrading of agricultural industries and rural development, deepen cooperation with AARDO member countries, and make concrete and substantive contributions to agricultural development in the Asian-African region through various programs.

A group photo of Taiwan’s delegation together with the President and the Secretary-General of AARDO.

A group photo of all delegates at the 21^st General Session of the AARDO Conference.

In her remarks at the General Session of the AARDO Conference, Ministry of Agriculture Deputy Minister Tu Wen-jane emphasized Taiwan’s active participation in the organization’s activities.

A group photo of members of the 77^th Session of the AARDO Executive Committee, including Taiwan, along with distinguished guests.