| In 1970s, developing countries desperately need advanced management experience and skills during their economic and social development, while many senior scientists, engineers, doctors and managers in the world were born in developing countries and immigrated to developed countries permanently. In the light of the brain drain in the development world, UNDP initiated TOKTEN program in 1977 to encourage those overseas nationals to provide short-term service to their home countries. In 1980, with the help of UNDP, the TOKTEN program was set up in China. Under this program, UNDP provides the TOKTEN consultants with travel expenses and one to four weeks' Daily Subsistent Allowance, while their recipient units would bear some of the local. ¡¡¡¡¡¡
In 1985, STAR program was established in China to provide foreign experts of non-Chinese origin with the similar arrangements as TOKTEN program. This has widened the expert resource base and area coverage. The two programs merged and became TOKTEN/STAR program in 1991, and National STAR component was added in 1999 to recruit national experts to provide short-term service to the less developed regions of China.¡¡ |
