Deputy Minister Paweł Jabłoński on the prospects of implementing a development project in Libya by Polish entities
16.09.2020
“Development cooperation is one of the most essential instruments for building an international position and a positive image of our country. It is also an opportunity for development, not only for those who receive assistance but also for those who provide it,” said Deputy Minister Paweł Jabłoński while meeting with entrepreneurs and NGO representatives.
The meeting focused on the prospects of implementing a development project in Libya by Polish entities from the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa.
The project titled “Protecting most vulnerable populations from the COVID-19 pandemic in Libya” has emerged at Poland’s initiative. Our country suggested that a part of the funds in the amount of EUR 20 million that were earmarked by the V4 states in 2017 for enhancing the protection of Libya’s outer borders, are allocated to support the Libyan healthcare system, which at the moment not only faces the crisis resulting from the prolonged conflict but also the pandemic effects. The programme will include facilitating national mechanisms of detection and supervision in the fight against the spread of coronavirus, fostering preventive measures, and boosting the local healthcare system. Such support will particularly help communities that are most exposed to the effects of the conflict, including migrations and forced relocations. The project will be implemented in cooperation with the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which under the public tender procedure will choose partners responsible for providing certain services and products.
The meeting’s objective was to outline the subject to the interested entities. It focused, among other things, on such topics as the current developments in Libya, the project’s details, and presentation of the UN tender procedure.
“We believe that Polish companies, NGOs, and research institutes can offer high quality products and services. It is also beneficial to the awarding organisations which can have a chance to obtain good value-for-money solutions from new suppliers,” said the deputy minister.
He also emphasised that the MFA has been, for a long time now, seeking to boost the harmonious cooperation among business and development aid sector partners, for instance, through organising the Warsaw Humanitarian and Development Days. Intended as a cyclical event, it aims at networking, presenting - sometimes not obvious - procurement market rules, and, as a result, encouraging Polish entities to participate in the global development aid market on an even greater scale.
The multidimensional support for the project titled “Protecting most vulnerable populations from the COVID-19 pandemic in Libya” is yet another example of Poland’s solidarity in engaging in the international community’s actions that have been most of all focused on the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Poland has earmarked a total of PLN 400 million for that purpose by providing humanitarian aid and development assistance to many countries all over the world.
