In the next five years, Slovakia will provide development aid to ten priority countries: Afghanistan, Kenya, Moldova, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia and South Sudan. Previously, it rendered development aid to 19 countries.
The government on January 15 approved the Medium-Term Strategy for Development Cooperation for 2014–2018, the SITA newswire wrote. Slovak development aid will focus on seven areas. In developing countries, it will strive to improve the quality of education, promote health care, agriculture and forestry, and the creation of a market environment. Assistance will be also directed to good governance, development of civil society and energy security as well as drinking water supply and water- and waste management.
In 2012, Slovakia provided nearly €61 million in official development aid, representing 0.09 percent of gross national product. In 2005, Slovakia as a member of the EU committed to provide official development assistance equal 0.33 percent of GDP by 2015.
“Slovakia is determined to meet its financial commitments, depending on how the economic situation in the country develops and the necessary consolidation of public finances,” SITA quoted from the approved strategy.
The amount of financial resources allocated to the total Official Development Aid (ODA) is €71 million for 2014, according to the TASR newswire. Out of that, contributions to the European Union, international organisations and financial institutions which can be claimed ODA are about €51 million. For bilateral development aid, about €20 million will be allocated which means about 28 percent of the total Slovak ODA. A total of seven ministries will participate in offering bilateral development aid: foreign affairs, finance, interior, defence, education, environment and agriculture.
(Source: SITA, TASR)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
