The aim of the conference was to map the V4 capacities and opportunities for joint activities and programming in international development projects. The significance of this event laid in the fact that besides NGO experts and academics, members of parliaments and ministries´ representatives were present from all V4 countries. Around 70 participants took part in the event. The panelists and other participants had opportunity to exchange ideas on how to promote the topic of international development cooperation on the agenda in national parliaments and on the broader political agenda in the V4 countries. Representatives from the Czech, Polish, Slovak and Hungarian Parliaments and Ministries discussed how the four countries can join their efforts in fighting poverty in developing countries. All participating MPs have been to a study trip in a developing country, therefore they have an insight into the everyday lives of people living in poverty. Representatives of the ODA Departments of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of V4 countries shared their experience from V4 cooperation that has been in place for some years and it is not a new topic on the development agenda. They also touched upon the IATI (International Aid Transparency Initiative) that the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia agreed to implement by 2015. In the two last panels, the representatives of academia and NGOs mentioned also the importance of the implementation of the policy coherence for the development, cooperation with private sector as well as opportunities to build more synergies among V4 NGOs working in the field (e.g. network CEDRON).
The event was accompanied by an art exhibition of the best works of national competitions with the topic of development cooperation organized in the countries. Results of the conference will be summarized in a post-conference report that will be published at the beginning of May.
The programme of the conference can be found here.
The conference was funded by the European Union (V4 Aid - United Support for MDGs project) and the International Visegrad Fund.
In the picture: Members of Parliaments from V4 discussing development cooperation, archive: PDCS
Information provided by Andrea Girmanová, MVRO
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