Taipei: Taiwan and four of its partner countries on Tuesday marked the 10th anniversary of a joint initiative designed to strengthen multilateral cooperation and facilitate Taiwan’s contributions on global issues. In a joint statement, Taiwan and the representative offices of the United States, Japan, Australia, and Canada marked the establishment of the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) a decade ago.

According to Focus Taiwan, the statement highlighted the importance of the GCTF as a platform for sharing Taiwan’s expertise and building partnerships to address common challenges. The commitment of Taiwan and the four countries to the GCTF was reaffirmed, with a pledge to strengthen the partnership and expand the impact of the GCTF over the next decade.

The group aims to enhance engagement through longer-term programs and exchanges with its growing network, welcoming additional partners, co-hosts, and participants. They expressed a desire to maintain and expand the partnership in ways that benefit people globally and contribute to a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable future.

Additionally, the group plans to establish formal cooperation mechanisms to improve coordination among GCTF partners, although specific details were not provided. The GCTF, initiated in 2015 by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States and the American Institute in Taiwan, serves as a platform for Taiwan to share its expertise and contribute to global issues with partners.

Japan, Australia, and Canada joined the GCTF as full partners in 2019, 2021, and 2024, respectively. More than 87 workshops have been conducted under the GCTF, involving over 10,000 government officials and experts from 133 countries. These workshops have addressed topics such as countering disinformation, strengthening public health responses, and improving cross-border law enforcement cooperation.