On the 1st of January 2007, Romania became a European Union member(EU), a status which also implies taking the responsibility to contribute to the development cooperation policy that targets the EU development process. According to the agreements assumed during the EU accesion negotiations (Chapter 26 Foreign Affairs, that includes also the development cooperation policy), Romania takes part, since the moment of its accession, in the EU strategies targeting the developing countries in their effort for social and economical development.
FOND History
After an extensive process initiated back in 2005, 34 non-governmental organizations, most of them constantly involved in consultations and informative activities carried out by TRIALOG and the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided, in October 2006, to set up the national development cooperation Platform FOND. FOND received its juridical status, as a Federation, according to the Romanian legislation, in March 2007. In January 2008, 3 more organizations joined FOND and now FOND has 42 members.
Most of the 42 NGOs are interested in developing projects in the following sectors of interest within development cooperation: Development Education, Education and professional training, Democracy and Good Governance (including Human Rights and Child Protection) and Health, in neighboring countries (Moldova, Georgia, Ukraine).
The Romanian NGOs benefit of the experience in projects’ developing in Romania; this experience may be transferred in action abroad. These organizations are for a long time actively involved in partnerships both with European NGOs, and with NGOs from the countries benefiting of the development assistance. Some of the most important Romanian NGOs involved in development work (Caritas Romania, Save the Children Romania and World Vision Romania) are all members of FOND and are part of well established European NGDO networks. FOND members are organizations active in various fields in Romania and are committed to transfer the expertise accumulated in the transition period to developing countries in the neighbourhood and in the Global South. Various Romanian NGOs and FOND members are already involved in cross-border and regional projects and programmes in the Balkans, as well as in Moldova and Ukraine.
FOND members are already participating in various European networks of NGDOs.
Since 2006 FOND has organised training sessions in order to increase the member's capacity to act in this area. During 2008 and 2009 FOND implemented the project "Development cooperation in Romania: Building FOuNDation for Policy Work", which had the main goal to strengthen the capacity of the Romanian civil society to engage the Romanian public authorities on development cooperation to influence the national policies in the filed as well as to participate in policy debates on development at European level.
An important event that has became a tradition for FOND is the Black Sea NGO Forum - it was launched in 2008 by FOND and aims at increasing the level of dialogue and cooperation among NGOs in the Black Sea Region, as a mean of strengthening NGOs and their capacity to influence regional and national policies.
In 2010 FOND organised 3 important events together and with the financial support of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA): The Romania - Republic of Moldova NGO Forum, Romanian Development Camp and Black Sea NGO Forum.
FOND also organised awareness raising activities - the project "Be a global citizen! Take part against extreme poverty", Africa Day, the National Seminar on global/development education.
Context:
In 2006 the MFA launched the National Strategy on development cooperation policy. According to this document Romania is prepared to offer assistance in the following domains: good governance, the strengthening of democracy and the rule of low, economic development, education and career development/employment, health, development of indrastructure and environment protection. "Romania, like the other new EU member states, will strive to increase its ODA to reach, within their respective budget allocation processes a level of 0,17% of ODA/ GNP by 2010. Romania, like other new EU Member states, will strive to increase by 2015 the ODA/ GNP rate to 0,33%".
During 2007-2009 the United Nations Development Programme - Romania developed with de support of the MFA the SNIECODA project - Strengthening the national institutional and educational capacity to carry out ODA programmes/ projects.