Latvian development cooperation is managed by the Development Cooperation Policy Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in cooperation with the Consultative Council for Development Cooperation Affairs. In addition, there is respectively one person in charge of development cooperation issues at the Latvian embassies in the recipient countries.

In recent years, Latvia has become increasingly active in development cooperation while transforming itself from a recipient to a donor country of official development aid (ODA). Since accession to the European Union (EU) in 2004, Latvia has adopted the primary community legislation on development assistance and has started to participate in the implementation of the EU’s development policy. However, the formulation of a coherent development cooperation policy and project administration, which falls under the responsibility of the MFA, is overall still in the initial stages of development.   

Latvia’s development policy is guided by the ‘Basic Principles for the Development Cooperation Policy’ (2003) and the ‘Development Cooperation Policy Programme’ (2006–2010), which is currently under review. According to these policy documents, the main objective of Latvia’s development cooperation efforts over the upcoming years is to strengthen its role as an emergent donor country and to define areas of cooperation where Latvia can offer added-value to the international development community.  Whilst the Latvian government had expected to be in a position to continuously increase development cooperation spending and to reach their 0.1% GNI target by 2010, massive cutbacks have occurred during the 2009 and 2010 budgets, reducing its bilateral aid spending to a level of only 800 LVL (€1.120) in 2010.

Between 2005 and 2008, Latvia published an annual development cooperation policy plan setting out development assistance objectives and priorities for the coming year. The 2008 plan prioritises the implementation of bilateral and trilateral cooperation projects, Latvia's awareness-raising activities in development cooperation policy and support for the successful development and implementation of development cooperation policy.

The priority sectors of Latvian development cooperation include:

• Fostering of market economy
• Supporting sustainable social development (good governance, strengthening of non-governmental sector, local authorities and governments)
• Education
• Environment

Development assistance priority countries include:

• Georgia
• Moldova
• Ukraine
• Belarus

In 2008, Latvia’s bilateral aid amounted to 2.3 million LVL (€3.3 million). Latvia’s bilateral development assistance as such does not concentrate on least-developed countries (LDCs), but puts its primary focus on the former Soviet republics in the eastern regions of the EU. In 2009, Latvia supported projects in Georgia and Moldova, and a development education project in Latvia itself.

Latvia’s cooperation with multilateral development organisations is still in its early stages. In 2008, 9.6 million LVL (€13.7 million) were channelled through multilateral aid, representing 80% of Latvia’s total ODA. In the past, this support benefited organisations such as the United Nations (UN), UNESCO, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Red Cross and the International Migration Organisation.

Neither of Latvia’s two development policy guidelines, the ‘Basic Principles for the Development Cooperation Policy’ (2003) and the ‘Development Cooperation Policy Programme’ (2006-2010), mentions sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) or HIV/AIDS as policy areas for the government’s development programmes. Likewise, the annual development cooperation policy plan has so far not featured interventions in these fields. However, in 2008 Latvia contributed 1,059 LVL (€1,500) of voluntary spending to the UNFPA budget, which has to be considered a symbolic contribution and is not likely to be continued due to the effects of the economic and financial crisis on the national budget.

The Latvian government regards the involvement of civil society as key for successful development policy implementation. The ‘Development Cooperation Policy Programme’ (2006–2010) explicitly calls for an increase in the number of NGOs involved in the implementation of Latvia’s development programme.

Since 2006, the MFA announces its annual grant project competition. Grants may be received by NGOs as well as other institutions. Additionally, in 2008, the MFA announced its first grant project competition for NGO project proposals. Each year, approximately 20-30% of Latvian ODA is channelled through NGOs. It is possible for projects which are continually successful to evolve into (unofficial) development cooperation programmes. A project that is drafted in response to a previously successful project has a chance to be included in the Development Cooperation Plan for the subsequent year.

Interested NGOs should consult the website of the MFA regularly to stay informed about upcoming calls for proposals and the relevant guidelines. In addition, 27 Latvian NGOs are united under the umbrella of the Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation (LAPAS).¹

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¹ Contact information can be found in the NGO Platform Contact Information section of this Guide.

 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Structure MFA

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia: Development Cooperation Policy Programme of the Republic of Latvia 2006–2010.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia: The Basic Principles for the Development Cooperation Policy of the Republic of Latvia.

UNFPA: Annual Report (2008).

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Non-DAC donors' net disbursements, (1998-2008)