Prague, Nov 15 (CTK) – The Czech diplomacy will donate 180 million crowns for humanitarian aid in 2018, which is 23 million more than this year, according to the Foreign Ministry’s 2018 strategy for humanitarian aid released on Wednesday.
The ministry also launched subsidy tenders for NGOs on the provision of humanitarian aid in selected countries.
The Czech Republic originally earmarked 130 million crowns for the aid in 2017, but decided to increase it by 27 million in the course of the year.
Before the end of October, the ministry supported 42 humanitarian projects in 25 countries by the total of 138 million crowns, of which 85 percent was aimed at helping people expatriated due to conflicts and 15 percent was aimed at assistance during disasters.
While the volume of humanitarian aid is increasing, the priorities should remain the same.
The country will strive to support countries struck by conflict and enforced expatriation, including refugees from these countries and host communities in specific regions, focusing on humanitarian protection, healthcare and education, as well as enhancing the capabilities of developing countries to cope with natural disasters, the ministry strategy’s authors say.
Afghanistan, Burma, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Ukraine and Zambia are the priority countries for the aid.
The Czech diplomacy is going to cooperate with Czech, local and international non-profit humanitarian organisations, with the Red Cross and UN organisations and programmes.
