Priority countries

Bilateral assistance is addressed to priority countries.

Priority countries are important, although not the only, beneficiaries of Polish bilateral assistance. This type of assistance covers also other selected countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (non-EU members) as well as Central Asia. Assistance funds are provided primarily to the NIS: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Poland’s bilateral assistance is addressed also to the Balkan states (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Serbia). Polish assistance in that region is focused on European integration, supporting the process of political transformation in the broad meaning of that word, and the planning and management of economic development processes. Assistance in the development of local governance is also vital.

The Small Grants Fund

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs finances assistance projects within the framework of the Small Grants Fund. Most often, those funds are used for subsidising small assistance projects (e.g. the renovation of a school building roof, the purchase of computers for a community centre or the construction of a well), which have a positive impact on the local community. Projects are subsidised on the request of Polish embassies in developing countries. In previous years, the Small Grants Fund assistance was provided to African countries as well as Cambodia and Mongolia.