• Central administration bodies
• Local government
• NGOs
• The Polish Episcopate Commission for Missions
• Planned co-operation

Central administration bodies

Central administration bodies (apart from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance, which are the main links of Polish development assistance) implement assistance projects or provide assistance by making contributions to organisations, programmes and international funds (multilateral assistance ). Central administration bodies can implement foreign assistance and development assistance projects.

Local administration

We started co-operation with local government in 2006. We want local governments to become involved in assistance activities. After the announcement of the possibility of submitting project applications by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, they can submit development co-operation or democratization and civil society development projects. The technical and financial assessment of the project is made by the MFA Development Co-operation Department based on certain criteria defined in the “Guidelines”.

NGOs

Every year, the MFA announces several calls for proposals directed to NGOs. In 2004, the total amount of funds provided in this way was more than PLN 1.5 million, and in 2005 it reached the level of more than PLN 10 million. There was also an increase in the number of organisations that implemented projects co-financed by the MFA. In 2006 the amount of funds at the disposal of NGOs reached PLN 30 million.

An important instrument of co-operation between the MFA and NGOs is the Council for Co-operation with NGOs at the Minister of Foreign Affairs, whose work was inaugurated on 16 January 2003. It is an important part of social diplomacy, a forum on which views on the trends and priorities of Polish foreign policy are exchanged. The Council’s members include: Caritas Polska, the Centre for International Relations, the Stefan Batory Foundation, the Institute of Public Affairs, the Polish-American Freedom Foundation, the Polish Association ”Dom Europejski”, the ”Pro Europa” Association, the Polish Red Cross, the Foundation in Support of Local Democracy, and the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.

The Polish Episcopate Commission for Missions

Within the framework of the strategic guidelines of the Polish development policy, the MFA carries out a number of activities in the world’s remote regions through diplomatic missions as well as non-governmental and independent institutions. Missionary centres are important participants of that process.

The year 2006 saw the initiation of co-operation, on the basis of which in future it will be possible to take advantage of the presence of Polish missionaries in developing countries. Those missionaries will be involved in the implementation of development assistance projects, primarily on the African continent. The framework of co-operation and the priorities of joint activities will be defined in the nearest future. Polish missionaries are present, among others, in: Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Angola, Kazakhstan, and Moldova.

Planned co-operation

There are also plans for co-operation with scientific research institutions and the involvement of the private sector in assistance activities.