First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić and European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica presented 13 February at the Croatian parliament the European Year for Development 2015 and Croatia’s development aid.
Croatia’s Development Aid
Croatia’s development cooperation policy is aimed at fighting poverty and achieving sustainable development based on the protection of human rights, notably those of the most vulnerable groups such as women and children, and with a special emphasis on conflict-ridden countries. Croatia’s development aid is directed towards Southeast Europe, primarily Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as North Africa and Middle East. We are also present in Afghanistan and Myanmar, as well as in the African states of Angola and Tanzania. According to the 2013 data, Croatia has spent more than HRK 323 million on development aid projects.
This year we plan to complete the midwifery training centre in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, near which members of the Croatian armed forces are located. The project is being implemented in cooperation with the national and local Afghan authorities and institutions, with the financial support being routed through the competent health institution of the Balkh province, which has independently put out a tender, under Croatia’s auspices, in accordance with the international standards. The centre will offer midwifery training for rural areas of north Afghanistan, comprising nine provinces, and will contribute to reducing maternal and infant mortality. We will also continue with the support to women’s entrepreneurship through the “Afghan Carpets” project, which offers crafts training for women with no fixed income. Said carpet weaving project was launched in August 2012, has achieved excellent results and has been recognized as well-thought-out and original by the international donor community. Furthermore, we will continue to participate in the “Women’s Leadership for Peace” project, which is aimed at the civil society development, i.e. strengthening the role of women in democracy and peace-building in Myanmar. The initial idea, aimed at strengthening the capacity and developing the skills of women to assume more prominent roles in their communities was successfully implemented May 2013-April 2014.