Poland announces foreign aid spending

Poland has assigned 85 mln zloty or almost 22 mln euros for international development aid. Most of the funds will go to Ukraine and Belarus, Poland’s eastern neighbors.

It’s the first time Poland out aside such a big sum of money in the history of its foreign policy. The problem at the beginning was that the government couldn’t come to an agreement whether the money should be allocated for the former Soviet Republics, the Balkans or Third World countries. Eventually 70% of the aid will go to Poland’s eastern neighbors Ukraine and Belarus and other former Soviet Republics like Georgia, Moldavia or Tajikistan, which is explained by Poland’s geopolitical position and is in line with the country’s foreign policy, says Jan Szczyciński of the United Nations House in Warsaw:

Some 30mln zloty or nigh on 8 mln euros fell to Polish NGOs, which presented a number of projects in the grant competition recently launched by Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explains Justyna Janiszewska of the Foreign Group – an association of Polish NGOs:

The grant competition, even though for a record sum of money, was announced much later this year than in previous years. Now, NGOs are worried they may not have time to make the right use of the money assigned. Once they sign the contracts and receive the grants there will be only 3 and half months left to spend the money. Justyna Janiszewska, hopes for much quicker action on the side of the government in the future:

As a matter of fact Poland is among the countries, which are beneficiaries of foreign aid from other countries. So, even though it’s in the group of the world’s 40 richest countries, many are asking how it can afford subsidizing other poorer countries. Jan Szczycinski of UNH again:

According to the international commitment the amount of money Poland assigns for international development aid rises every year. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the 85 mln zloty will grow by a few hundred thousand in the near future.

Source: By Iwona Lejman