2009

Since the Polish accession to the European Union in 2004, the value of Polish aid provided to developing countries has doubled, and in 2009 it amounted to over PLN 1 billion (PLN 1164.92 million/USD 374.67 million), which represents 0.09% of GNI.

Multilateral assistance (contributions to international organisations and funds providing development aid) amounted to PLN 879.38 million, which represented 75% of total disbursements. The amount of PLN 841.07 million (EUR 194.25 million) was provided under the membership fee to the EU's general budget for community assistance initiatives supervised by the European Commission, and the remainder of the funds was distributed within the national system, in which the central role is played by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The amount of PLN 38.31 million was allocated to multilateral assistance provided outside the European Union system.

Multilateral assistance in 2009 amounted to PLN 285.55 million (USD 91.84 million). The funds were allocated, among others, to contributions under preferential loans granted by the Ministry of Finance (over PLN 130 million), to fund the costs of education at Polish universities for students from developing countries (the Ministry of Science and Higher Education - over PLN 33 million plus grants of over PLN 17 million), assistance to refugees during the first 12 months of their stay in Poland (the Ministry of the Interior and Administration - over PLN 30 million), as well as for training and advisory assistance, humanitarian aid and non-repayable investments in infrastructure implemented from the funds of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In 2009, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs allocated PLN 6 million to humanitarian and food aid. It was provided both through contributions to international institutions that continually implement activities of a humanitarian nature, and ad hoc measures in response to appeals relating to humanitarian crises.

In 2009, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded 319 aid projects for partner countries, the vast majority (219) of which were the initiatives implemented for the priority countries: Afghanistan, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, the Palestinian Authority and Angola.

2008

In 2008, official Polish development assistance amounted to PLN 897.11 million (USD 372.37 million), of which PLN 695.15 million represented multilateral assistance, and the amount of PLN 201.96 million was allotted to bilateral assistance. Multilateral assistance included a Polish contribution to the European Union of PLN 660.66 million (EUR 187.87 million) earmarked for development assistance supervised by the European Commission. The reminder of multilateral assistance (PLN 34.49 million) was transferred to international organisations and funds providing development assistance (including organisations included in the United Nations system).

The contribution to the EU's general budget for aid measures represented 74% of the official development assistance funded by Poland in 2008. The remaining portion of initiatives was allocated within the national development assistance provision system, in which the dominant role is played by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

In 2008, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs possessed the amount of PLN 110 million recorded in the special-purpose reserve under item 43. Most of the aid was transferred to the priority countries of the Polish foreign assistance programme: Afghanistan, Angola, the Palestinian Authority, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Tanzania and Ukraine.

The amount of PLN 90.49 million was allocated to tasks funded directly by the MFA, which enabled the implementation of many aid initiatives - in cooperation with NGOs, local government units, public universities, research and development units, and Polish diplomatic posts. In 2008, the MFA granted in public tenders 388 subsidies to assistance projects for partner countries, 380 of which were implemented.

Other funds from the reserve were allocated directly by other ministries to projects implemented by them and to multilateral contributions to international organisations. Some ministries (e.g. the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration) in the course of their operations transferred additional funds for external assistance.

A new element of Polish aid was funding the journey of 29 Polish volunteers to work in partner countries under the Polish Aid Volunteering Programme in 2008. In 2008, a pilot edition of the programme was conducted: subsidies for NGOs in an open competition totalling over PLN 0.888 million was granted to 19 projects.

Poland also provides humanitarian assistance to countries afflicted by natural disasters, weather anomalies, armed conflicts and mass migration and displacement of people. In 2008, the value of humanitarian aid provided by the MFA amounted to PLN 6.75 million and doubled in comparison with previous years.