The report on the peer review of Poland’s development cooperation system carried out by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) in 2023 was officially presented yesterday. The event was attended, among others, by Deputy Foreign Minister Jakub Wiśniewski, Chair of the OECD Development Assistance Committee Carsten Staur, members of the Development Cooperation Policy Council, and representatives of non-governmental organisations and academia. 

The deputy head of Polish diplomacy underlined that the DAC's peer reviews are an important tool for Poland, guiding further efforts to increase efficiency and coherence of the Polish development cooperation system. Minister Jakub Wiśniewski noted that some of the DAC's recommendations are already being implemented. He drew attention to the establishment of a new Development Cooperation Policy Council, the return to evaluation procedures, and the acceleration of calls for proposals. The diplomat stressed that Poland has for years consistently specialised in collaborating with the Eastern Partnership and the Middle East countries and intends to develop this specialisation in the future. He also referred to the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2025, highlighting how big an opportunity it is to make the Polish public more aware of the importance of development cooperation.  

Carsten Staur, Chair of the OECD Development Assistance Committee and the event’s guest of honour, appreciated the mobilisation of Polish society in the face of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. He pointed to the solidarity traditions of our country, stressing that Poland wants and can engage in helping those more in need. The DAC chair said that Poland also has significant experience of supporting democratisation processes as well as promoting and protecting human rights, which is an important aspect of its development cooperation.

The report, apart from analysing the Polish aid system, includes a number of recommendations, the implementation of which will, according to the Committee, contribute to increasing the efficiency of Poland’s activities in the area of development cooperation and humanitarian aid.

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Poland has been a member of the Development Cooperation Committee (OECD DAC) since 2013. The first OECD DAC peer review of Poland’s development cooperation system took place in 2017. DAC members undergo reviews of their development systems approximately every five years. The aim of peer reviews is to improve the quality and efficiency of development cooperation policies, programmes, and systems.