Country Support Team in Europe & CIS

Country Programmes - Slovak Republic

Background

Since the mid-1990s, UNDP has been assisting the Slovak government with economic and political reform in its efforts to decentralize and modernize public administration to meet EU standards. UNDP’s assistance in this area consists of advisory and training activities for civil servants; help with state administration audits; and support to Slovakia’s efforts to assist lesser developed countries.

Presently, UNDP continues to pursue its mandate to create an environment for sustainable human development. UNDP helps the Slovak government integrate minorities into local development processes. Slovakia’s regional disparities, combined with historical differences between Roma and non-Roma populations, have had a negative impact on the Roma’s living conditions throughout the country. As a result, the government, with UNDP assistance, has launched a number of regional development initiatives aimed at integrating the Roma into Slovak society.

Since joining the OECD and the EU, Slovakia has committed itself to fulfilling its obligations connected with membership in these organizations. For example, Slovakia has begun to provide official development assistance (ODA) to poor and underdeveloped countries. UNDP is helping in this effort. Cooperation between UNDP and the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) started in 2000. The two organizations worked together to help government bodies provide ODA. This cooperation entered a second phase when the two organizations established a UNDP-MFA Trust Fund for ODA in September 2003.  

In January 2007, MFA established the Slovak Agency for International Development Cooperation. The agency will take over administrative functions of the UNDP-MFA Trust Fund. 

In addition to providing assistance with ODA, UNDP helps Slovakia take an integrated, holistic approach to the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of development. These activities help the Slovak government create public support for sustainable development strategies. UNDP also supports efforts to meet the requirements of global and regional conventions and agreements on climate change, biodiversity protection, and international waters through funding provided by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

This project supported Slovakia’s efforts to pursue development cooperation by preparing strategic documents, and assisting with information management and micro projects. The project aimed to help Slovakia become an effective donor country. Successful cooperation has led to a deeper partnership between UNDP and the Slovak government.  

In September 2003, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UNDP’s Regional Centre in Bratislava signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the period 2003-2008. The document established a Trust Fund to deliver approximately two-thirds of the Slovak ODA budget for the period between 2003 and 2006. The Trust Fund supports the efforts of the Slovak Republic to share transition expertise and best practices with other countries, and to ensure that official development assistance is delivered effectively. In helping to create the Fund, UNDP showed that the fund has a special role to play in promoting cooperation between Slovakia and its peer countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The Trust Fund is implemented directly by UNDP’s Regional Centre in Bratislava. It operates as a separate project within the Regional Emerging Donors Initiative, making full use of the Centre’s administrative and financial resources. The operational arm of the Trust Fund is an administrative contracting unit (ACU), which was established at the UNDP Regional Centre in 2003. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plays a strategic management and decision-making role, and must ultimately approve any financial allocations via a steering committee. The Trust Fund finances only Slovak entities and experts.

Capacity-Development for Sustainable Regional Development in the Košice Region  

Planning for sustainable development is at the forefront of the UNDP agenda. Many communities in Slovakia are socially, economically, and environmentally backwards. However, they do aspire to reach the levels of the more advanced regions of the country. UNDP has contributed to a number of projects for long-term sustainable development (e.g., Development of National Strategy for Sustainable Development, Regional Agenda 21 for the Stredné Pohronie region, Local Agenda 21 for six selected municipalities in Stredné Pohronie and Dolný Zemplín, local sustainable development plans for municipalities in Slovensky Kras).  

The current project is focused on creating partnerships in micro regions between public and private stakeholders, together with NGOs and the civil sector. Within selected pilot regions, these partnerships will be will be further transformed into formalized structures, for example, local action groups that will apply for funds from European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), or other EU development programmes. As part of the creation of local partnerships, coordinating structures for micro regions will be established with the aim to better identify development priorities, search for possibilities for support, and be better prepared to access EU and other development funding. This will facilitate cooperation within local communities, and help in the social inclusion of marginalized groups.

Another project implemented in the Kosice region aims to support local communities by increasing the access to public services (such services are provided by the Kosice Self-governing Region, i.e., regional self-government). UNDP supports the Kosice region by helping to develop partnerships in areas heavily populated by disadvantaged communities (Roma). The objective is to overcome social exclusion, and provide new economic opportunities. These partnerships rely on an information technology-based platform that will enable easy communication between the region and its citizens, and increase access to information related to regionally provided public services. The IT platform will ensure transparency and standardization of communication between regional self-administration and local communities. The project, together with the previously mentioned, is implemented in partnership with the Kosice Self-governing Region (Kosice Regional Authority).

Initial Assistance to the Slovak Republic to Meet Obligations under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are chemical substances that pose a danger to human health and to the environment. They are toxic in small concentrations, and could damage normal biological functions of the human body and living organisms. Because of their ability to accumulate rapidly, they negatively affect all creatures, collecting in their fatty tissues and affecting the food chain. Their toxicity, and ability to spread widely, was the main reason for signing the Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in Stockholm on 22 May 2001. UNDP, working with Global Environment Facility (GEF), supports activities that facilitate the early implementation of the POPs Convention. This project supported the development of the National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention. It also addressed broader chemical safety and management issues, boosted public awareness, and started a public discussion about POPs that will be continued by the national authorities. The project was implemented by the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute.

Project to Demonstrate Viability and Removal of Barriers Impeding the Adoption and Successful Implementation of Available, Non-Combustion Technologies for Destroying POPs in the Slovak Republic

This project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by UNIDO (www.unido.org), will introduce and apply non-combustion technology in Slovakia to destroy significant obsolete polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) wastes. As part of a global programme, it will help remove barriers to the further adoption, and effective implementation, of globally available non-combustion technologies, and to meet the Stockholm Convention requirement to ensure the use of best available techniques and best environmental practices. The project in Slovakia will destroy 1,000 tones of PCB-contaminated product (targeting a stockpile of waste residues from the formal PCB production in Chemko Strázske), and a further 1,500 tones of PCB from equipment and wastes from the state sector, and other owners and sources in Slovakia (this includes PCB concentrates from contaminated sediments and soil). The project will also transfer and install technology to extract PCBs from the sediment and soil.

Slovakia produces 0.2 percent of global greenhouse gases, and has one of the highest amounts of carbon dioxide (CO²) emissions per capita. The use of renewable energy sources in the energy sector has been inadequate for many years. Wood waste residues have the potential of being used for energy production, especially in areas where fossil fuels, natural gas, and heating oil are not available. The biomass project has contributed to the development of a sustainable biomass energy market for heat generation in northwest Slovakia, aiming to provide a replicable, economically viable and environmentally friendly source of energy. The project’s objective was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (especially important because the Slovak government is a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [UNFCCC], and a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol), and to promote the adoption of renewable energy sources. It is hoped that the project will eventually serve as a model for other regions of Slovakia, as well as for other countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Mitigation of the effects of climate change could be achieved through the biomass project by working with local communities, regional governments, and other stakeholders. UNDP has been working on energy projects in many countries to expand the use of renewable, cleaner energy sources. The biomass project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by Biomass Association (www.biomasa.sk), is one of UNDP’s most successful. 

Peatlands are recognized throughout the world as one of the rarest and most threatened habitats. It has been estimated that peatlands initially covered approximately 1 percent of Slovakia. Now, as result of human contact, about 90 percent of it has disappeared. This project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by Daphne (www.daphne.sk ), focuses on conserving Carpathian fens, a type of peatland unique to Slovakia’s ecosystem. The project strategy is based on addressing major threats to peatland biodiversity. Activities in three pilot areas will help demonstrate how to restore and manage these valuable habitats. Adequate policies will be identified. The overall project objective is to maintain representative samples of unique West Carpathian-rich fen habitats and their biodiversity, by promoting restoration, conservation, and sustainable management practices. The project will help Slovakia meet the objectives of the national biodiversity strategy, and global environmental commitments of the Convention on Biological Diversity. For UNDP/GEF, the conservation of peatlands has been a priority issue not only for the conservation value of peatlands, but also because of their potential to absorb greenhouse gases.  

Removing Barriers to the Reconstruction of Public Lighting Systems

The reduction of greenhouse gases could be also accomplished by improving the energy efficiency of public lighting systems. The objective of this project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), is to reduce carbon dioxide (CO²) emissions by removing technical, financial, and policy barriers to reconstructing public lighting systems. The project aims to improve the capacity of municipalities to make efficient investments in public lighting systems. It also plans to improve municipalities’ operation of lighting systems. A service centre (Center for Public Lighting [CEVO, www.cevo.sk]) has been set up to provide advisory services and training in financial and technical structuring of investments. Moreover, a funding scheme will finance demonstration projects, and leverage further financing from the EU or national funds. The reduction of greenhouse gases could be achieved in every sector of society operating energy systems. UNDP/GEF is looking for innovative solutions to the climate change problem, and is supporting viable proposals for reducing energy consumption.  

Integration of Ecosystem Management Practices into Land and Water Management of Slovakia’s Laborec-Uh Eastern Lowlands 

Water and land management in Eastern Slovakia’s lowlands has historically relied on substantial capital-intensive drainage and irrigation systems to support intensified but unsustainable agricultural production. The past and present water and land management policies and practices, combined with industrial and urban development in and around the project area; competition for sources of good quality water; and uncertainties over land ownership during the land reform period; have severely reduced the area of natural floodplain habitats, resulting in declining biodiversity and reduced water quality. This project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), will contribute to mainstreaming integrated ecosystem management principles and practices into the land and water management, and agricultural sectors, of new EU members and accession states. It will do so within the context of the EU Rural Development Programme 2007-2013, and the implementation of the Danube River Protection Convention (including the Danube Basin Nutrient Reduction Programme). By the end of the project, an innovative stakeholder partnership, set up under the “leader” axis of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, will be in place in the project area. This partnership (known as a Local Action Group) will have the capacity and motivation to continue to implement a self-sustaining, integrated water and land management programme, resulting in environmentally sound agricultural practices, pollution control, alternative non-farm livelihoods, and further expansion of (semi-) natural floodplain habitats that support a representative range of species.

The Living Conditions of Roma Households

Disaggregated quantitative data and analysis based on The Living Conditions of Roma Households  serve as a precondition for establishing efficient national policies for the inclusion of vulnerable groups in general, and the Roma in particular, into society. This project is based on data gleaned from the Roma Household Survey 2005, carried out by UNDP and the World Bank. This data represents the most comprehensive, specialized data ever collected in the Slovak Republic. It focuses on poverty and its causes, employment and unemployment, the distribution and make up of social benefits, and social assistance reform and its consequences. Policy recommendations identify the challenges to social policies in this area. A round-table discussion among the relevant stakeholders took place in the project’s final phase. The project is aligned with the Slovak Ministry of Labor’s new reporting framework for the National Social Inclusion Action Plans. Policy recommendations link the results of the analysis to the national initiative called Decade of Roma Inclusion Action Plans.

Collection of Data Related to “Ethnic” Categories in Order to Meet the Needs of Anti-Poverty and Anti-Discrimination Policies

This project identifies the ways to reliably collect data on ethnic categories in Slovakia, with the goal of promoting ethnic equality, monitoring discrimination, and fighting poverty. The project consists of discussions of the working group, and the publication of recommendations. The project is aligned with the priorities of The Slovak National Centre for Human Rights, the Slovak Statistical Office, the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Family, and the Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Government for Roma Communities.

Feder Dživipen/Lepší Život/A Better Life

The goal of this project is to improve the employability of the Roma in Slovakia by analyzing barriers to their participation in the labor market, and supporting Roma self-employment through the establishment of entrepreneur incubators. The specific goal is to develop and test an innovative method to integrate the long-term unemployed into the labor market. The design for the inclusion of the unemployed into the labor market has been developed based on UNDP experience in the other CEE countries (Hungary, Poland). During the project, model business plans were developed for Roma business start-ups in order to motivate potential Roma entrepreneurs. An integral part of the project is the dissemination of project results and recommendations throughout Slovakia and other EU member countries. The focus of the project is on Eastern Slovakia, specifically on the Prešov Higher Territorial Unit.

Cross-Border (Eastern Slovakia/Northern Hungary) Human Development Report

The aim of this report is to analyze current issues of sustainable human development, and to address the key economic, entrepreneurial, and social issues in cross-border regions of eastern Slovakia and northern Hungary. It is expected that the report’s recommendations will inform the country’s political and business agenda, and shall be widely discussed between policy makers, the business community, and the public. The report, published in Slovak, Hungarian, and English, will be broadly publicized and distributed to the business community, regional and central governments, regional development agencies, academic institutions, NGOs, and other stakeholders, to promote cross-border cooperation and dialogue about the key development issues.

The main objective of this project is to accelerate the implementation of CSR practices in new EU member states. CSR practices are seen as a vehicle for EU harmonization, improving competitiveness, and social cohesion. The project, started in January 2007, addresses the practices of companies (both local and foreign enterprises), but also intermediaries like business and professional associations, local and national governments, trade unions, academia, non-governmental organizations, and the media in the project countries. The project funded by the European Commission is implemented by UNDP Offices in project countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Macedonia, Poland, Slovak Republic, and Turkey) in cooperation with national and regional partners. Business networks in Spain, the UK, and Germany will contribute by exchanging their experiences and good CSR practices. Project duration is 18 months. The total budget is $1.36 million (EUR 775,636). The contribution from the European Commission stands at EUR 620,199, while UNDP is contributing an additional EUR 155,437. The first comprehensive baseline analysis on corporate social responsibility practices in Slovakia (both in English and Slovak) can be downloaded by visiting www.acceleratingcsr.eu.

The Global Compact is a framework for businesses committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment, and anti-corruption. As the world's largest global corporate citizenship initiative, the Global Compact is first and foremost concerned with exhibiting and building the social legitimacy of business and markets. Business, trade, and investment are essential pillars for prosperity and peace. But in many areas, business is too often linked with serious dilemmas (e.g., exploitative practices, corruption, income equality, barriers that discourage innovation and entrepreneurship). Responsible business practices can in many ways build trust and social capital, contributing to broad-based development and sustainable markets. The Global Compact is a purely voluntary initiative with two objectives: Mainstream the ten principles in business activities around the world; and catalyse actions in support of broader UN goals, such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).To achieve these objectives, the Global Compact offers facilitation and engagement through several mechanisms: policy dialogues, learning, country/regional networks, and partnership projects (see www.unglobalcompact.org).