Mtcp Has Benefited Developing Countries Since 1980

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) - The Malaysian Technical Cooperation
Programme (MTCP), which was established by Malaysia in 1980, has benefited other
countries especially the developing ones.

Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said that back in 1980, the MTCP
programme only offered 36 courses to 30 countries but the number had increased
to 135 courses being offered to 138 countries until end of last year.

"The ex-participants or alumni, numbered 577 by the end of the 4th Malaysia
Plan (1980-1985). By 2010, the concluding year of the 9th Malaysia Plan, the
alumni figure rose to 10,743," he said when opening the Asian Approaches to
Development Cooperation Dialogue: Lessons for Development Effectiveness, here,
Wednesday.

The text of his speech was read out by his deputy, Senator A. Kohilan
Pillay.

The four-day seminar, which started Tuesday, involves 30 experts and
development cooperation officials from Asian countries who are here to share
lessons from one another's experience and perspectives in south-south
development cooperation.


The seminar was jointly organised by the Asia Foundation (TAF), the Korea
Development Institute (KDI) and hosted by the International Institute of Public
Policy and Management(INPUMA) of the University of Malaya (UM).

MTCP was part of the government's commitment towards the promotion of
technical cooperation among developing countries, strengthening regional and
sub-regional cooperation as well as nurturing collective self-reliance among
developing countries.

Among programmes under the MTCP are public administration, good governance,
health services, education, sustainable development, agriculture, poverty
alleviation, investment promotions, Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) and banking.

Funding for the programmes comes from the Malaysian government.

Anifah said, until today more than 20,000 officials from 138 countries had
undergone some training in Malaysia under the MTCP.

He said, the number of training institutions acting as the implementing
agencies of the MTCP had also increased from 10 training institutions which
conducted 36 courses during the fourth Malaysia Plan (1980-1985) to 54 courses
during Ninth Malaysia Plan(2006-2010).

Among these institutions were INPUMA, UM, the Institute of Diplomacy and
Foreign Relations (IFDR) under his ministry, the National Institute of Public
Administration (INTAN) and the non-governmental organisation (NGO), Mercy
Malaysia, Anifah said.

"These implementing agencies have in turn developed into centres of
excellence in their respective fields, having benefited from the experience of
handling and training foreign participants as well as enriching their management
skill as a whole," he said.

Anifah added, the approach adopted by Malaysia in sharing its development
experience with fellow developing countries since 1980 was fashioned in a manner
different from the mainstream trend of aid and assistance.

He said, Malaysia as a non-donor country, offered unconditional assistance
as opposed to conditional aid which was prevalent to other developing countries.

Anifah also noted that Malaysia was happy that some countries such as
Cambodia and Vietnam which actively participated in the MTCP had now become more
developed.