AIT Press Release #: PR-1913
April 13, 2019
Arlington, VA. – On April 12, 2019, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation on International Parental Child Abduction (IPCA). The MOU provides that AIT and TECRO will facilitate communication on this critical issue, through and in coordination with their designated representative organizations, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs and the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW). AIT Managing Director John Norris and TECRO Deputy Representative Louis Huang signed the MOU, joined by Department of State Special Advisor on Children’s Issues Suzanne Lawrence and Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Jim Heller.
The MOU establishes an AIT-TECRO Joint Commission on IPCA, which provides a forum for the United States and Taiwan to cooperate in efforts to address international parental child abduction. This MOU builds on the strong people-to-people ties shared by the United States and Taiwan. The United States supports Taiwan’s meaningful participation and contributions to issues of global concern, including in ensuring the safety and protection of children, and in building networks to facilitate law enforcement information exchange and international cooperation. Since the signing of the Taiwan Relations Act 40 years ago, AIT and TECRO have worked to encourage deeper cooperation between our two societies, and today’s MOU is the latest reflection of these efforts.
