Prague, Nov 22 (CTK) – The Czech Republic gave 4.9 billion crowns to development aid in 2015, 11.4 percent more than in 2014, which is a positive trend, but the aid should keep rising, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) representatives Charlotte Petri Gornitzka said yesterday.
The Czech Republic has pledged to increase its development aid to 0.33 percent of GDP by 2030. At present, it amounts to 0.12 percent.
Gornitzka, chair of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee, pointed out that the Czech Republic should have a particular plan of increasing the aid.
Deputy Foreign Minister Martin Tlapa said the trend of cutting finances for development aid was over and on the contrary, the aid was raised in 2014 and 2015.
“The trend has changed thanks to this government that this year approved a rise in the means for development aid by 100 million crowns a year until 2019,” he added.
The Foreign Ministry wants to keep negotiating in the government about a further rise in the development aid.
The government should see the effect of development cooperation both in the business sphere and in stabilisation, Tlapa said.
“By helping developing countries built up capacities and employ people, we reduce the reasons for migration, and consequently it has an indirect effect on stronger security in Europe,” Tlapa said.
He also said Czech diplomacy had selected some priority countries to aid, including the Balkan countries, Ethiopia and Georgia, with the intention to connect development aid and economic diplomacy.
Gornitzka appreciated that development aid was a firm part of Czech foreign policy. However, she said the Czech Republic should target a lower number of countries in the future to make the aid more efficient.
She also positively assessed the fact that the Czech Republic took a pragmatic approach to development aid and used “the division of work” within the European Union (EU).
The money provided for aid through the EU made up almost two-thirds of the total development aid last year.
According to the Foreign Ministry’s information, the major recipient country of Czech development aid last year was Moldova where 100 million crowns were sent, followed by Ukraine, Afghanistan and Bosnia, receiving from 91 to 92 million crowns each.
Czech aid has long focused on these four countries. They have been among the top ten recipients in the past five years.
The Czech Republic mainly supports the development of social infrastructure, including education, civil service and civic society. It focuses on the projects aiming to improve water supplies and farming.
The volume of aid to refugees, living in the countries where development aid is sent, has considerably increased in the past two years.
($1=25.424 crowns)
