MID-TERM PROGRAMME FOR DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE AND HUMANITARIAN AID OF THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA FOR THE PERIOD 2016-2019

Development assistance and humanitarian aid are an integral part of the foreign policy of the Republic of Bulgaria and contribute to achieving its goals. The Official Development Assistance /ODA/ is an important tool for promoting sustainable growth in developing countries, supporting integration into the global economy and build a more just and democratic societies. The objective of the granted humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering and protect human dignity during and resulting from crises, as well as to prevent similar situations and strengthen preparedness upon their occurrence. By joining the EU Bulgaria has pledged to assist less-developed countries designated as recipients of such aid. According to arrangements achieved within the EU , member states that that joined the EU after 2002,  will aim to reach the goal of providing ODA amounting to  0.33% of their  gross national income /GNI/. In the context of  the overall ODA commitments and fully respecting the individual priorities of Member States, the EU is committed to assist the least developed countries by collectively allocating between 0.15% and 0.2% of GNI.

The objectives and areas of development assistance, identified in the mid-term programme, are mainly oriented towards sharing experience with the Western Balkan countries and the Eastern Partnership countries. The protection of cultural diversity is one of the thematic priorities of the Bulgarian development policy. Bulgaria aims to impart its experience in building working representative institutions and in the process of integration into the EU, including in the field of cultural policies for promotion of cultural diversity. In 2015 the Ministry of Culture of Bulgaria organised a seminar on “Culture and development” with the participation of experts in cultural heritage from the SEE countries and Black Sea region countries.