Does Poland make any progress? Polish Aid Watch Report 2010

The „Polish Aid Watch Report 2010” is a review of the Polish government’s development cooperation policy and actions in 2010, including as well an analysis of new trends in this field emerging in 2011. As every year, the report has been drafted by representatives of member organizations of Zagranica Group, the Polish NGDOs platform.
 

2010 was not a year of many strategic changes. The important step forward initialized in 2011 has been the approval of the Act on Development Cooperation, entering into force on January 1, 2012, as well as the ongoing work on the multiannual plan for Polish aid. However, the impact of those steps can be only evaluated with time.

From the NGO perspective, the main problem still remains the lack of a clear and long-term vision of what we would like to do in the countries of Global South and countries undergoing transformation. The amount of money transferred under Polish aid has not grown significantly, even though in 2011 Poland has started contributing to the European Development Fund (EDF). The real value of Polish ODA is even lower, taking into account the fact that the Polish administration is reporting on the international forum part of this budget as climate mitigation action, which is a violation of the Copenhagen Accord (agreed at the Climate Change Conference in 2009).

Fundamental changes are definitely needed in relation to transparency, systems of evaluation and setting priorities for Polish aid, so that – even as a small and new donor – Poland could be perceived as an effective one. Zagranica Group hopes that such a change will be possible in 2012, accompanied by a qualitative improvement of Polish aid in the topics mentioned in the Report.

Read the "Polish Aid Watch Report 2011" here (pdf document)

For more information please contact Monika Matus monika.matus@zagranica.org.pl

Information provided by Zagranica Group