Wednesday 23 July 2014

MFA and HAND Signed Memorandum of Understanding on Role of Hungarian Private Sector in Development Cooperation

On the 4th of June 2014 a MoU was signed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFA), Hungarian Investment and Trade Agency (HITA), Hungarian Export-Import Bank (EXIM) and the Hungarian Association of NGOs in Development and Humanitarian Aid (HAND).

It was in 2010 when HITA appeared as a new actor, working closely with private sector actors. As the role of the private sector has grown in development HITA proactively tried to engage the Hungarian private actors in development cooperation. Their efforts to build a database of potentially interested companies is supported by HAND with the aim to facilitate the connection between interested CSOs and private sector.

Lately HITA took a step further and initiated an inter-ministerial MoU to establish an unofficial structure called Hungarian Development Platform (HunDP) to strengthen cooperation and coordination among many development stakeholders, unfortunately still with the lack of any private sector actor. The purpose of the MoU is to increase coherence between the public, private and civil stakeholders and their activities in development and facilitate their dialogues, and to increase visibility of Hungarian IDC activities and improve the role of business.

This initiative, if any continuation arising from it can be nurtured, could have significance if the concept of PCD also gains some momentum in Hungary. But the latest news unfortunately tell a different story, the initiator HITA is being re-organised as the new MFA is being formed with its new overwhelming trade focus. As a consequence, HITA has already lost its previously granted independence, much of its professional staff and it cannot yet be seen if there will be any host to carry on with this great initiative.

For more information please contact Peter Rohonyi: peter.rohonyi@hand.org.hu

Information provided by HAND

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