All grown up
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is closing its Polish office on Sept. 30. The U.S. Congress, which funds the agency, has decided that Poland's young democracy and free market are well enough entrenched to develop without the agency's further assistance.
USAID's authorities made their withdrawal official in front of local dignitaries and other invited guests at last Wednesday's ceremony in the prime minister's chancellery.
J. Brady Anderson, the USAID administrator, said that Poland dreamed and prayed for freedom and 11 years ago that dream came true. But the dream needed some practical backup to become reality, and that's where USAID came in. "USAID gained a program to help Polish people create a free market economy," he said.
Anderson reminded the gathered guests that Poles such as Tadeusz Kosciuszko and Kazimierz Pulawski fought for liberty at the side of the Americans during the American War of Independence. "America has never and will not forget about that," he said. "And the U.S. will stand by Poland."
Despite his optimism and the agency's withdrawal, Anderson admitted that there was still a lot of work to be done. That's why the Polish American Freedom Foundation, the successor to the Polish American Enterprise Fund, will continue to support local institutions. The cooperation of Poland and America will also reach beyond this country's borders in the form of the Polish American Ukraine Cooperation Initiative. The initiative will give Ukrainian entrepreneurs and government officials a chance to benefit from the knowledge and experience that has been gathered on Polish ground.
"The success achieved by Poland during the last decade wouldn't be possible without the U.S.," said Maciej Musial, who heads the chancellery and stood in for Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek at the ceremony. "And I hope that this cooperation won't end today."
USAID, a federal government agency that implements economic and humanitarian assistance programs, began operating in Poland in 1989. The agency has thus far carried out more than 400 projects and contributed $1 billion worth of investment toward the development of small and medium businesses and the cultivation of a competitive financial sector. The agency has also thrown its weight behind the country's overhaul of its public administration, health, education and pension sectors.
During their time with USAID, the agency's employees witnessed a lot of changes. Donald Pressley, assistant administrator for Europe and Eurasia, still remembers his first visit to Poland in 1989. Pressley joked that when he dropped into a Warsaw restaurant 11 years ago, the only thing available on the 20-page menu was chicken. "Now, the restaurants here are the envy of other Central European cities," he said. Though the dining scene reflects an altered reality, it isn't the only indicator of how things have changed. "The local governments are strong and business is growing," Pressley said. "And the democracy is one of the strongest in the Central Europe."
During his speech, Pressley also invoked the joint Polish-American heroes of Pulawski and Kosciuszko. "Years ago they claimed: For your freedom and ours," Pressley said. "And our slogan today will begin: For your future and ours."
Part of the ceremony included recognizing those who had worked with USAID to make that future a possibility.
Stanislaw Najnigier, president of the Housing and Urban Development Authority (UMiRM), was one of those honored with a certificate of distinction. Najnigier said USAID had been vital to the work and success of his office. "There was a great flow of know-how," Najnigier said. He also said the agency's invaluable assistance in addressing water-supply issues was a key factor in the preparation of a draft water-supply law soon to be considered in the Sejm.
But William Frej, the director of the USAID mission in Poland, did not only award the representatives of the agency's Polish partners. Ewa Stanislawska, a contract specialist at USAID, also received a certificate.
"I was rewarded, but as a representative of the whole Polish staff at USAID," Stanislawska said. She has been working for the agency for nine years and was responsible for signing contracts with aid implementation experts. She said she had really enjoyed her time with the agency. "The work was very interesting and constantly growing," she said. "I can simply say that working for the agency linked business with pleasure."
