US embassy cable - 04BRATISLAVA616

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000616 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
PARIS FOR USOECD BMCFEETERS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PREL, ECON, LO 
SUBJECT:  SLOVAK EXTERNAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE EFFORTS 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY.  THE SLOVAK MFA RECENTLY ESTABLISHED A FORMAL 
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM TO MANAGE EFFORTS THAT HAD 
PREVIOUSLY BEEN CHARACTERIZED BY VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO 
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.  THE PROGRAM OF OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT 
ASSISTANCE (ODA) STARTED ADMINISTRATIVELY IN 2003, AND ACTUAL 
    ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS WILL COMMENCE THIS YEAR.  DUE TO RELATIVELY 
MODEST FUNDING, THE ODA WILL PARTNER WITH ESTABLISHED PROGRAMS OF 
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO MINIMIZE ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.  IT HAS 
A WELL-DEFINED LIST OF PRIORITIES AND 13 TARGET COUNTRIES FROM 
EUROPE, AFRICA, AND ASIA IN WHICH IT WILL OPERATE.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  IN ORDER TO MORE EFFECTIVELY MEET ITS MORAL RESPONSIBILITIES 
AS AN OECD MEMBER AND BURGEONING PARTICIPANT IN EURO-ATLANTIC 
STRUCTURES, THE GOS ESTABLISHED ITS ODA IN 2003 WITH A BUDGET OF 
USD 4.2 MILLION.  THIS BUDGET SHOULD GROW TO APPROXIMATELY USD 
4.8 MILLION THIS YEAR IN ADDITION TO THE USD 9 TO 12 MILLION THE 
GOS ANNUALLY GIVES FOR HUMANITARIAN PURPOSES.  THE KEY DIFFERENCE 
IS THAT THE ODA CREATES A MECHANISM FOR FORMAL PROGRAMS IN 
TARGETED COUNTRIES.  IT ALSO EMPHASIZES RELATIVE SLOVAK STRENGTHS 
IN MANAGING DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSITION. 
 
3.  ZIGMUND BERTOK, DIRECTOR OF THE MFA'S DEPARTMENT OF 
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION, DISCUSSED DETAILS OF THE ODA 
WITH ECONOFFS.  HE AMBITIOUSLY CLAIMED THAT SLOVAKIA IS ON THE 
PATH TO BECOMING ONE OF THE WORLD'S HIGHLY DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. 
HE ADDED THAT, IN ADDITION TO THE GOS BEING KEENLY AWARE OF HOW 
CAREFULLY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MONITORS PARTICIPATION IN 
SUCH PROGRAMS, IT ALSO WANTED TO ALTRUISTICALLY HELP THE 
DEVELOPING WORLD GROW ACCORDING TO ITS MEANS.  WITH LIMITED 
RESOURCES, HOWEVER, THE GOS DOES NOT WANT TO SEE ITS DONATIONS 
DISPERSED SO WIDELY THAT EFFICIENCY IS SACRIFICED. 
 
4.  THEREFORE, THE ODA WILL FOCUS ITS EFFORTS ON 13 COUNTRIES 
WITH TWO OR THREE OF THEM SELECTED AS "PROGRAM" COUNTRIES FOR 
MORE COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS.  THE 13 FUTURE RECIPIENT 
COUNTRIES INCLUDE AFGHANISTAN, ALBANIA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, 
    KAZAKHSTAN, KENYA, KYRGYZSTAN, MACEDONIA, MONGOLIA, MOZAMBIQUE, 
SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO, SUDAN, TAJIKISTAN, AND UZBEKISTAN. THE GOS 
SELECTED SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO AS THE INITIAL RECIPIENT OF 
PROGRAM ASSISTANCE AND OTHER COUNTRIES WILL BE ADDED LATER. 
ADDITIONALLY, SLOVAKIA HAS DESIGNATED IRAQ FOR IN-KIND ASSISTANCE 
SUCH AS OFFERING A "MINISTERIAL ADVISOR" AND PARTICIPATING IN 
TRAINING TO SHARE ITS OWN TRANSITION EXPERIENCES. 
 
5.  RECOGNIZING THAT IT WILL NOT BE A MAJOR DONOR IN QUANTITATIVE 
TERMS, THE GOS HAS ESTABLISHED CLEAR GOALS TO ENSURE THE QUALITY 
OF ITS PROGRAMS.  THE GOS PLANS TO USE ITS EXPERIENCE IN THE 
TRANSITION TO, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF, DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS 
AND A MARKET ECONOMY (INCLUDING CHANGES IN OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE, 
CREATING A BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT, AND REFORMS IN THE PUBLIC 
SECTOR).  THE SLOVAKS HAVE EXPERTISE IN DEVELOPING INFRASTRUCTURE 
INCLUDING TRANSPORTATION, DEMINING WORKS, SEWAGE SYSTEMS, WATER 
PURIFICATION AND TREATMENT, WASTE MANAGEMENT, DRINKING WATER 
SYSTEMS, AND ENERGY PRODUCTION.  THEY ARE ALSO WELL VERSED IN 
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, AGRICULTURE, FOOD SAFETY, 
REFORESTATION, IRRIGATION SYSTEMS, AND AGRICULTURAL AND 
GEOGRAPHIC RESEARCH.  THE GOS SEEKS TO INCREASE THE INVOLVEMENT 
OF SLOVAK EXPERTS IN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS, AND 
HOPES DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE WILL INCREASE ECONOMIC TIES WITH 
RECIPIENT COUNTRIES.  FINALLY, THE GOS WANTS TO AID COUNTRIES 
WHERE ETHNIC SLOVAKS RESIDE TO ENSURE THEIR EDUCATIONAL AND 
SOCIAL BENEFITS.  FOR EXAMPLE, SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO WAS CHOSEN 
AS THE FIRST PROGRAM COUNTRY BECAUSE THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 
60,000 ETHNIC SLOVAKS LIVING IN THE REGION. 
 
6.  SLOVAKIA'S ODA WILL ACTIVELY SEEK TO COOPERATE WITH NGOS AND 
OTHER DONORS - IN PARTICULAR THE CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL 
    DEVELOPMENT AGENCY AND THE UN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM - TO TAKE 
ADVANTAGE OF THEIR RESOURCES AND ACCESS TO FUNCTION MORE 
EFFICIENTLY.  THEREFORE, SLOVAKIA WILL HAVE RELATIVELY FEWER 
PEOPLE ON THE GROUND WORKING IN RECIPIENT COUNTRIES, BUT ITS 
CONTRIBUTIONS WILL STILL BE CONSIDERABLE.  COMMENT: SLOVAKIA'S 
EFFORTS IN DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE WILL COMPLEMENT ITS ALREADY 
CONSIDERABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO PEACEKEEPING FORCES THROUGHOUT THE 
WORLD. 
WEISER 
 
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