The Republic of Bulgaria

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The intensification of the processes of integration and globalisation has resulted in increased interdependence between developed and developing countries. There is growing awareness in international politics that there is no global security without development of the countries that are less developed in economic and social terms, just as it is not possible to achieve development without international, regional and individual security.

The cooperation for development in a conceptual dimension and as a reality in the practice of international relations has featured very prominently as an important element in the foreign policy of the developed nations, and especially of the Member States of the European Union. The relative share and role of foreign aid are growing in importance as an instrument in foreign policy. Foreign political activities along the line of cooperation for development play an important role for attaining the national foreign policy priorities and goals, as well as for creating a favourable environment for the development and prosperity of integration communities like the EU.

In conceptual terms, the cooperation for development is based on several fundamental documents and international fora.

1. The UN Millennium Declaration for Development was adopted in September 2000 in New York during the Millennium Summit held under UN auspices. The Declaration comprises the values, principles and goals of global cooperation for development in the 21st century, and eight Millennium Development Goals were formulated.

Global Millennium Development Goals (according to the Millennium Declaration for Development of September 2000)

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality

Goal 5: Improve maternal health

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development

2. Two high-level UN fora were held in 2002: the International Conference on Financing for Development (Monterrey, Mexico) and the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa, during which important decisions were adopted for the practical implementation of the tasks formulated in the Millennium Declaration. The final document of the meeting in Monterrey (the so-called Monterrey Consensus) is based on the understanding that the Millennium Development Goals can be attained only by involving both the developed and the developing countries: the developing countries bear the main responsibility for their own development, but their efforts in this respect ought to be supported by the developed nations whose financial commitment is measured as a percentage of their gross domestic product (GDP).

3. During the Summit in September 2005 in New York, again under UN auspices, a review was made of the progress towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals, and a final document was adopted, which outlines additional measures for attaining the Goals, as well as for the institutional reform in the global organisation.

In terms of transforming politics into real actions, the UN and its system guarantee the universal format within which the most important issues of international cooperation for development are discussed and negotiated. Most of its activities are of prime importance to the developing countries.

Apart from the UN system, the issues connected with globalisation, sustainable development, financing for development, social development, etc., feature prominently on the agenda of the international financial institutions, notably the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), the World Trade Organisation (WTO), organisations of donor countries of international aid, e.g., the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), regional investment banks like the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), etc. The EU as an organisational structure is the biggest donor of aid for the developing countries. Considerable aid is also provided by the USA, Japan, Switzerland, Norway, etc., including “new” donors like, e.g., China.

Among the international financial institutions, the IMF and the WB have the most extensive experience in transforming the development policy in favour of the developing countries through grants, “soft” loans (preferential terms and interest rates), guarantees, analytical and consulting activities, debt relief, especially within the HIPC Initiative (the initiative concerning the heavily indebted poor countries), cooperation for raising the national capacity, global monitoring and lobbying in favour of the developing countries.

The WTO is also contributing within its competencies, emphasising the link between trade and development, and seeking possibilities to assist the developing countries with a view to their effective involvement in international trade.

The OECD plays an important role in the international cooperation for the purposes of development. Under its auspices, the heads of state and government leaders of more than 100 states adopted in March 2005 the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, which contains clear principles for providing aid and indicators for its effectiveness. One of the OECD bodies – the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) – is additionally a substantial element in the practical dimensions of the development policy. DAC is the most reliable source of statistical information on multilateral and bilateral foreign aid to developing countries. It is also legislator in the sphere of the most important share of foreign aid for the development policy: the so-called Official Development Assistance (ODA), determining its potential recipients, the rules for its statistical accounting, and its effective targeting and utilisation.