Good relations with Belarusian society and the development of this country are of crucial importance to Poland which is willing to share its experience in the political transformation process. Promoting democracy, human rights, the rule of law and good governance at local, regional and national levels contributes to the economic and social development of Belarus. Therefore, Poland strives to undertake activities that stress the linkage among these values and that allow the effective support of institutions that protect these values. It is also crucial to spread initiatives that promote the empowerment of civil society. Making Belarus one of the priority countries of Polish foreign assistance results from a growing interest in the situation in that country. In 2006, Belarus was included in the list of recipient countries of the Official Development Assistance (ODA).

Polish development assistance initiatives carried out in Belarus include:

• dissemination of objective information about current situation, history and cultural identity of Belarus, especially in Belarusian language (support for BELSAT TV channel, radio broadcasting station, local press and Internet news web pages, etc.);
• support for civil society and development of local self-government;
• familiarising representatives of administration, intellectual and political circles, self-government, cultural and educational institutions with Polish and international experience in the following fields:
• democracy,
• respect for human and national minority rights,
• social solidarity;
• European integration and Euro-Atlantic co-operation,
• free market economy mechanisms;
• support for independent civil, educational, informational and cultural initiatives;
• dissemination of knowledge and sharing experience in the fields of non-governmental sector development, cross-border co-operation, education and small and medium-sized entrepreneurship.
• support for independent Belarusian culture and language.

In 2008, PLN 26 million was allocated for the development assistance provided to Belarus