The three main governmental entities engaged in Polish foreign assistance are:

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)
• The Ministry of Finance
• The Ministry of Science and Higher Education

January 1 2010 saw the fusion of the MFA and the Office of the Committee for European Integration (OCEI). The related restructuring created a unique opportunity to use the potential of the expanded MFA to bolster and realign the system of Polish development assistance. It is now based on the commonly applied principle of separating policy and implementation. Thus, the Development Co-operation Department (DCD) - which has been operating within the MFA since 2005 - is responsible for planning development cooperation activity, including the definition of geographic and thematic priorities and allocation of funds. It is also responsible for coordinating Poland’s support for democracy and civil society building.  The practical implementation of the projects (including holding of calls for proposals) and their monitoring is the responsibility of the new Department of Implementation of Development Programs, which also handles other tasks previously assigned to the OCEI.

Since January 1 2010, the two departments constitute the MFA Development Cooperation Branch.

Each year, the MFA outlines geographic and thematic initiatives to be implemented within the “Polish development cooperation programme and support for international cooperation to promote democracy and civil society”.

In 2008, the DCD approved 388 grants for aid projects in partner countries on the basis of the calls for proposals, of which 380 were implemented. The main part of aid was directed to Poland’s priority countries of the 2008 Polish aid programme 2008: Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Afghanistan, Palestinian Autonomy and Tanzania.

Poland’s foreign assistance has been based on the 2003 “Strategy for Polish Development Cooperation”. In 2006, the MFA commenced work on a new strategy. This new strategy will cover the years 2007-2013 and prioritise the following aims for Polish foreign assistance:

• Reduction of poverty and fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
• Ensuring democracy, the rule of law, civil society development
• Respect for human rights – predominantly in Eastern Europe

Priority countries for Polish foreign assistance are: Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Afghanistan, Iraq, Georgia, Angola, Vietnam, and Palestinian Autonomy. However, Polish development assistance is not limited to these countries. Polish aid also benefits selected countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (non-EU members) as well as Central Asia. Assistance funds are provided primarily to the new independent States: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Poland’s bilateral assistance is addressed also to the Balkan states: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Serbia.

In 2008, Poland's Official Development Assistance (ODA) amounted to PLN 897.11 million (€302 million), whereby PLN 695.15 million (€233 million) constituted multilateral aid. The majority of Poland’s development assistance is allocated to the EU with the remainder going to UN agencies, the World Bank and other agencies. In 2008, Poland made contributions to UNDP: PLN 332,345 (€80,809), UNFPA: PLN 166,201 (€40,406) - to a programme addressing the problem of fistula), UNAIDS: PLN 166,201 (€40,406), UNIFEM: PLN 665,105 (€161,700) and the WHO: PLN 188,878 (€45,920).

The fight against HIV/AIDS in Poland is considered as one of the government’s priorities. The Council of Ministers has recently approved the “National Programme for Combating AIDS and Preventing HIV Infections”. The development and implementation of the Polish national strategy and policy on HIV/AIDS encompasses multisectoral strategies as well as mainstreaming HIV/AIDS into Poland’s development planning. The Current National Plan covers the years 2007 – 2011 and is a continuation of the previous three programmes. The main tasks of the National Program are to reduce the spread of HIV infection by ensuring adequate access to information and services and to improve the quality of life and access to health care for people living with HIV / AIDS.

A few times a year the MFA announces calls for proposals opened for NGOs for assistance projects in priority countries, humanitarian aid projects in areas affected by natural disasters or armed conflicts and for development education activities. Applications submitted to a particular call for proposal by NGOs, other central administration bodies and local administration are then evaluated by the DCD of the MFA in cooperation with the other appropriate departments of the ministry.¹  After granting co-financing, the DCD monitors the projects and gathers and analyses reports on their implementation.
Polish embassies are also becoming more involved in the carrying-out of development assistance projects.  

¹ Information including all necessary forms and regulations can be found at: www.msz.gov.pl or www.polskapomoc.gov.pl.

 

 

Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Government policy of AIDS prevention.