Czech development cooperation and humanitarian assistance in 2021 (PDF, 2 MB)

Activities of the development cooperation and humanitarian assistance in 2021 continued to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially by the restrictions that hindered both implementation and evaluation of projects. Significant impact of the pandemic lead to additional cuts in development and humanitarian budget, altogether amounting to 200 mil. CZK.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in close cooperation with the Czech Development Agency and the Council for Development Cooperation, carried out a revision of the Methodology of the Development Cooperation of the Czech Republic. More emphasis was put on the integrated approach across all phases of the project cycle, in order to increase the effectiveness of the development efforts. A new chapter on communication was added and processes for identification of new projects and for results-based monitoring were enhanced.

In the context of the European Union (EU), principal change arrived in the form of a complex instrument for external action NDICI-Global Europe. In 2021-24, it will be the source of funding for Team Europe Initiatives, focused on recovery of developing countries after the pandemic and their overall transformation in the sense of "building back better". Czech Republic has joined preparations of several such initiatives.

Political situation in Afghanistan impacted the Czech, European and global programmes. While development and security cooperation was suspended in August 2021, humanitarian assistance to the country increased.

Despite the aforementioned challenges, the maximum of available resources was disbursed and thus: for the development cooperation programmes under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Czech Development Agency 758 mil. CZK, for the humanitarian assistance 144 mil. CZK.