Background

Cooperation between Slovakia and UNDP dates to the 1990s, when UNDP supported Slovakia in building its ODA system. Since the early 2000s, UNDP cooperation has been formalized by a partnership aimed primarily at supporting the provision of Slovak ODA. Recently the partnership with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic (MFEA SR) is framed by the project UNDP-Slovakia Partnership: Effective Development Cooperation Solutions for the SDGs. 

About the Partnership Project

The Effective Development Cooperation Solutions for SDGs project supports partners in advancing sustainable human and economic development, as well as gender equality, by facilitating the transfer of knowledge and expertise from Slovakia and other partners, including those from the private and security sectors. The project was launched in 2018 and is planned to be closed in 2025.

The main project outcomes are: 

• Created opportunities for the involvement of the private sector in development cooperation through Slovak Challenge Fund (SCF). It facilitated the transfer and testing of Slovak innovative solutions designed to address development challenges in the context of sustainable development, with a focus on natural resources and nature-based solutions, energy transition, agriculture, good governance, and building resilient societies. The SCF was implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Moldova, and Serbia. Detailed information about the projects and the results that were achieved is available on the SCF web site: https://slovakchallengefund.org/.
• Strengthened gender equality in security sector systems through the project Strengthening Regional Cooperation on Gender Mainstreaming in Security Sector Reform in the Western Balkans supports knowledge and experience exchange on integrating gender equality in the military. This project was implemented by The South-Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC). This is a multi-Donor initiative, financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Slovak MFEA, with a higher percentage of funding from Norway. The project’s unique regional approach proved to be the best practice model for fostering learning and exchange in achieving gender equality in line with the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. The project strengthened regional cooperation on gender mainstreaming in the security sector reform in the Western Balkans thanks to 34 regional meetings and workshops. It raised gender awareness in ministries of defence and Armed Forces, improved integration of the gender perspective into military education and, as data show, increased participation of women in the military. More information is available on: https://www.seesac.org/Gender-in-Security-Sector-Reform/