25 April 2019
The Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) of Cooperation on Women’s Economic Empowerment. H.E. Thulisile Dladla, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Eswatini, and H.E. Jaushieh Joseph Wu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan, jointly signed the MOU on behalf of the respective Governments on 25 April 2019 in the Kingdom of Eswatini in support of the noble cause of empowerment of women championed by the Queen Mother.
H.E. Joseph Wu, in his capacity as the special envoy of President Tsai Ing-wen, leads a delegation to visit the Kingdom and celebrate 51st Birthday Ceremony of His Majesty King Mswati III from 25 to 27 April 2019. During his visit, one of the highlights is to sign the MOU.
The MOU, inspired by the vision and foresight of Her Majesty the Queen Mother and Indlovukazi, aims to empower women in the informal sector without access to collateral and therefore unable to access credit finance and the need to resuscitate this noble initiative. Both Parties share a common belief in the importance of women’s economic empowerment. Therefore, the Government of Taiwan will provide resources to administrative support of the microfinance institution (MFI) and the technical and relevant consultancy to enhance women’s access to financial services.
The MOU defines that both countries have the desire to deepen their friendship and strengthen their cooperation through joint efforts to support the well- being of women in the Kingdom of Eswatini.