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Description
The purpose of the project is to improve the conditions and the role of NGOs active int the field of development and relief, i.e. development aid, democracy building, humanitarian aid in developing countries and global education in Poland.The problems that need to be addressed are both at the financial and institutional level. Poland’s public development support programs funding remains relatively low, which translates into limited funds available for organizations applying for funding under the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs grant schemes. There is also insufficient capacity assistance and support for the organizations of that kind. There is also a surprisingly low level of obtaining EU funds by Polish organizations under the European Commission grant competitions related to development cooperation and humanitarian relief.In the framework of the project, the Grupa Zagranica will monitor the implementation of the development cooperation policies (by publishing reports) and - by disseminating the reports from the monitoring - conduct advocacy (participation in public consultations, drafting recommendations, positions, interventions etc.) addressed to the national government and the parliament, as well as - at the European level and through CONCORD network - to the European Commission.The framework for our monitoring and advocacy is primarily set by the government’s Multiannual Development Cooperation Program 2021-30, which - also thanks to the Group’s previous advocacy work - contains specific commitments regarding the shape of the Polish development cooperation system, including the frames of the cooperation with CSOs.The expected outcome of the project will be the incorporation of the Group’s recommendations to the government administration and increased knowledge and involvement of the parliament in this area. We also hope to increase the presence of the topic of development cooperation in the public debate.
Summary of project results
The aim of the project was to improve the financial, legal, and institutional conditions for the functioning of social organizations engaged in development cooperation, humanitarian aid, and global education. The project sought to address systemic problems and challenges in the Polish development cooperation system, including the low level of polish Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding, limited public financing for NGOs'' activities, and the lack of effective tools to support the development of the non-governmental sector.
The project activities were designed to benefit member organizations of the federation (Grupa Zagranica) as well as other NGOs operating in the aforementioned thematic areas. The government administration, particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was the primary subject of monitoring and the target of advocacy efforts.
As part of the project, the federation monitored the implementation of development cooperation policies at both national and EU levels (publishing three monitoring reports). It also used the results of the monitoring to carry out advocacy activities (participating in public consultations, the DAC OECD peer review, and preparing recommendations, positions, and interventions on current issues) aimed at national government administration, the parliament, and the European Commission.
Despite comprehensive advocacy efforts, it was not possible to achieve significant changes in the areas of state policy towards organizations outlined during the application phase by the end of the project activities. However, tangible benefits were achieved, providing perspective for improvements in the longer term. Through the implementation of the project, Grupa Zagranica maintained its role as a sectoral federation and advocate for NGOs’ interests, sustaining stable communication with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and seizing specific advocacy opportunities for action. The federation''s demands were communicated, and interventions were made on issues critical to the third sector.
Thanks to an additional grant we received for the dissemination of the results of the main project, it was possible to present them to decision-makers in the new government and parliament on Poland''s development and humanitarian assistance. A series of meetings at the level of the heads of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education and with MPs in the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Education, Science and Youth Committee of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland resulted in concrete declarations regarding the role of NGOs in the implementation of Poland''s development and humanitarian assistance and education policy in Poland. The election of a representative of the Zagranica Group as a member of the Development Cooperation Programme Council is also a major success. These results will definitely facilitate our further statutory advocacy work.
We also devoted a lot of attention to strictly communication activities, mainly in social media. Both statistically/numerically and based on feedback from the recipients of project activities and from our member organisations, we are confident that this was effective.