The main aim of the development co-operation is the reduction of serious development disparities between the developed countries and the developing countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America or Eastern Europe.

Origins of such co-operation date back to the 1940s and 1950s, when similar initiatives were undertaken by all developed countries, including those that themselves had experienced poverty and famine (like Ireland). Gradually also international institutions, including EEC (later EU) joined the aid initiatives. Nowadays, the EU countries provide more than a half of the overall aid of the developed countries, and in 2008 it surpassed USD 119bl.

Prior to the downfall of communism and in the first years after 1989 also Poland received a considerable development aid. Current international standing of Poland (member of OECD, NATO and EU, 39th position in a ranking prepared by United Nations Development Program listing countries according to their level of social and economical development) predestines it to a new role of a development aid donor. The accession to the EU meant not only joining the biggest regional integration organization, but also the biggest club of development aid donors. Given that on 21 October 2003 the Polish government endorsed the first document under the title: “Strategy of Polish Development Co-operation” describing the aims, rules and principles of Polish development aid.

In recent years Poland have gradually been enhancing the scope of its aid activities. In the years 2000-2003 it was only a dozen or so million US dollars a year, but in 2004 this sum surpassed USD 100m, in 2005 – USD 200m, and in 2008 over USD 300m. Polish aid is channeled mainly to poorer countries of Eastern and Southern Europe (the Ukraine, Moldavia, Georgia and the Balkan states) and to selected countries of Asia and Africa. The aid usually takes the form of technical assistance (sharing knowledge and experiences of political and economic system transformation, organization of study visits, internships and conferences), scholarships for undergraduates and PhD students form less developed countries, reduction of debt and granting preferential loans. Poland is also a donor of humanitarian aid to the countries ravaged by military conflicts and natural disasters.

The Polish Government created within its composition units that are responsible for administrating Polish aid. Polish NGOs, which are the main executors of Polish aid projects, are stronger and stronger. There are plans to establish a special governmental agency, which will deal with technical aspects of transferring aid to foreign recipients. However, the knowledge about the less developed countries or broadly speaking, development co-operation, is very limited in Poland. There is also no institution which could provide experts’ and analytical support for the program of development aid implemented in Poland. It could analyze complicated issues of global development, clearing the way for Polish governmental and non-governmental institutions on their path to the world aid system and enabling them execution of their aid task in many regions of the world.