Poles keen on helping

A report recently released by the Foreign Ministry shows Poland's contributions to aid and development programs worldwide reached zł.663 million in 2005, or 0.068 percent of GDP. This marks a significant increase from 2004, when Poland's aid funding, or Official Development Assistance (ODA), came to 0.051 percent of GDP.

To highlight Poland's increasing foreign-aid allocations and to increase its potential, the Development Cooperation Department, which was established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2005, has set up an internet portal dedicated to the issue. The website, www.polskapomoc.gov.pl, was created to provide information to all those - especially non-governmental organizations (NGOs) - interested in participating in Poland's aid and development programs.

Figures show that when it comes to humanitarian relief, the biggest beneficiaries were: programs in South East Asian countries affected by 2004's tsunami disaster, which received zł.1.7 million; the Republic of Niger, which suffered a major food crisis; victims of the Pakistan earthquake in 2005; and victims of the Sudanese conflict in Darfur.

Diplomats have been quick to praise the Polish government's more recent relief efforts as well. "In Lebanon, we are all very grateful for any help that came to Lebanon after the destruction, especially for civilian infrastructure," said Massoud Maalauf, Ambassador of Lebanon to Poland.

Ambassador Maalauf added that reconstruction efforts in Lebanon presented profitable opportunities for Polish companies. "After every destruction there is construction, so there are lots of opportunities for Polish companies," the Ambassador said.