UNDP Poland case study UNDP Seminar on Local Capacity Building to Absorb EU Funds Skopje, 1-3 December 2004

UNDP and Polish accession to EU Concern over the effective use of EU support Experience of UNDP in building partnerships in projects, especially at the local and regional level; innovative projects – concern over ESF Expertise in managing sophisticated projects – ‘soft type’

May 2004 – Is UNDP Poland still necessary? The phenomena of 63% of public trust for the UN agencies in Poland (government – 13%, parliament 15%, president 51%) UNDP – broker of the partnerships UNDP – developing new, interesting projects Involvement of the public administration, central, regional and local in the UNDP projects

Ongoing/pipelined UNDP Poland Projects by areas Equal (EU funds, Community Initiative) Global Compact (private funds, ESF) ICTD (ERDF) RCC (ESF) Sustainable Development Indicators project (ESF) Iraq’i project Roma project (INTERREG IIIA, with Ministry of Internal Affairs)

How to reach for EU funds – when everyone sais its impossible Be Stubborn !!!

Short description of 15 months of negotiations with EQUAL – the precedence 2002 – Govt. position: EU funds definitely not for UNDP Govt. position: EU funds definitely not for UNDP June 2003 – despite all above, beginning of cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and Labor in the initial phases of CI EQUAL (to work out the precedence on the low level. Build partnership and informal contacts based on trust) July-Oct 2003 – in cooperation developing Polish Program Document for CI EQUAL Dec 2003 – similarily work on the idea of UNDP involved in building partnerships for development

Short description – c.d. Jan-Feb 2004 – UNDP perceived as legal entity operating not for profit according to the international law!!! March 2004 – UNDP leading partnerships for development as a „quasi NGO” Apr-Aug 2004 – preparation and submission of 13 EQUAL projects (plus one as a partner)

Be cautious – devil’s in the details Have to change the forms – delete ‘NGO’ and fill in ‘non for profit legal entity’ Possibility to use the ‘Not applicable’ – e.g. number in National Legal Register, no REGON code, etc. UNDP to manage the project with its own financial system together with financial procedures from program document (becouse Atlas is fabulous and effective)

We won a battle 29 October – we won a first battle, 16 November – victory day

The problems would never end... Just like negotiations... 5 EQUALs and 5 bank accounts NEX or DEX MOUs with the Ministry of Economy and Labour Bank guaranties Double Accounting (National-EQUAL and UNDP)...???

How to manage EU funds You have to be stubborn...again !!!

Thank You