On 24 April 2008, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) together with the office of UNDP in Romania officially launched the programme “Strengthening the National Institutional and Educational Capacity to Carry out Official Development Assistance (ODA) Programmes and Projects”. The programme has been presented as „a joint effort to support the transformation of Romania from a recipient of ODA and humanitarian aid to a donor country”.
Albeit the only genuine partners in development cooperation for the Romanian MFA over the last 3 years and the only active actors with some experience in the field, Romanian civil society organizations (CSOs) seem to have been once again overlooked. The long awaited opportunity for them to be offered effective support to become more active abroad and at home as promoters of development cooperation still remains a distant perspective.
Although the objectives, activities and timeframe of the programme were not yet defined at the moment of its launching, according to the first information that have been released it is UNDP Romania that will be the main actor in charge with promoting awareness among Romanian citizens on development cooperation with national ODA funding. It will also strengthen the capacity of the Romanian Government to disburse its ODA. Other „non-state actors” are also invited to participate to the trainings that are to be organized.
The decision to entrust this mission to the UNDP Office in Bucharest came at the end of 2007. It was the result of the lack of MFA capacity to directly disburse ODA funds within the Romanian budgetary and administrative constraints. This can be a great opportunity for the UN agency to contribute to the empowerment of local actors in development, as long as it will offer them the possibility, with national ODA funding, to implement awareness raising and development education activities. However, while, formally, both the Romanian MFA and the UNDP have already recognized that local CSOs have the experience and capacity to carry out this type of activities, both institutions have yet to prove their attachment to the principles of ownership and partnership.
In the words of the UNDP representatives, among other things, „the further expansion of ODA will bring several economic advantages to Romania, including procurement that will benefit Romanian companies”. Consultancies have already been mentioned as likely implementers for development education and awareness raising activities.
The launch event has ended unexpectedly and abruptly when the electricity went off and everybody had to leave the hall. As people were left in the dark, many answers have also remained unanswered.
Information provided by Valentin Burada, Romanian NGDO platform FOND
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