The 12th AidWatch launch event and professional day kicked off on Friday, 23 February 2024 at 11am with a ceremony in Pavilion A of Hungexpo Budapest. Speeches were delivered by Csaba Mezei, President of the HAND Association, France Mutombo Tshimuanga, President of the Foundation for Africa and Honorary Consul of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ildikó Szilasi, President of the Culture Africa Foundation and Chief Organiser of Africa Expo.
In their opening speeches, the speakers welcomed the opportunity for Hungarian NGOs working in the field of international development to meet and promote their work, and the common goal of amplifying the voices of NGOs working in the field of NEFE (international development cooperation) and promoting the culture of Africa.
After the opening, the professional event continued in the upstairs conference room: After a short welcome speech by Bálint Hamvas, CEO of the HAND Association, Réka Balogh, Policy Officer of the HAND Association, gave a presentation entitled Financing International Development in a Clear Way – What is Aidwatch and what is it good for?, followed by a presentation by Beáta Udvari, author of the AidWatch report and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Szeged.
The HAND Association then presented its recommendations on the report. This was followed by a question and answer session, where participants reflected on the information heard and added other insights to the discussion.
To conclude the workshop, we were treated to an exciting round table discussion: France Mutombo Tshimuanga (President of the Foundation for Africa and Honorary Consul of the Democratic Republic of Congo), Gabriella Grüner (Project Coordinator of the Ministry of Agriculture), Péter Kovács (CEO of Hungary Helps Agency), Réka Balogh (Policy Officer of HAND Association), Beáta Udvari (Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Szeged), Zsófia Elek (Head of Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade), Gábor Bálint (Team Leader of the Ecumenical Aid Organisation) and Bálint Hamvas (Managing Director of the HAND Association).
In the discussion, the participants explored the resource mobilisation challenges facing the civil society sector and discussed the role of Hungarian NGOs in international development, future directions and the legal, policy and financial environment in which they can operate effectively. Interlocutors also reflected on the key findings and recommendations of the AidWatch report.
NGOs felt that government funding for their activities in developing countries is not yet sufficiently predictable. Government representatives thanked NGOs for their suggestions, which they remain open to as it will greatly facilitate their work. They see many elements of the recommendations as either already implemented or well on the way to being implemented, but there is of course always room for improvement.
During the roundtable discussion, participants called for further cooperation between their represented sectors and for the promotion of active joint work and dialogue through a consultative body bringing together all sectors, which was echoed by the audience.
The professional day ended with a seminar, coordinated by Dávid Marton (Hungary Helps project coordinator) and István Tarrósy (associate professor at the University of Pécs). The latest Hungary Helps funding opportunities were discussed and the focus was on practice: participants were given detailed information about the applications and tips on how to submit them. István Tarrósy reviewed the history of Hungarian international development cooperation and current policy updates.
Thank you to all participants for their active participation and collective reflection – we closed the event with forward-looking plans.
Click here to read the latest AidWatch report.
About the AidWatch report
From time to time, the HAND Association tries to reflect on the international development cooperation (NEFE) activities of our country in the previous years, the quantity and quality of aid, past and future trends, either in the form of a written AidWatch report or in the framework of an event or other programme.
The Alliance will publish its next AidWatch report as part of its Presidency project. The project supports the preparation for the Hungarian Presidency and NGO activities related to NEFE during the Presidency.
One of the main priorities of the project is to give as wide a profile as possible to the work of NGOs in this field and to help them work in a legislative, policy, financial and supportive environment. In this context, the Alliance has focused the AidWatch report on the issue of Hungarian government support to NGOs.
Background on reporting
The last AidWatch report was published in 2019. In the 4 years since then, there has been a radical transformation in the Hungarian international development and humanitarian aid sector. After 2019, separate ministries were responsible for development and humanitarian aid, and from 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade will once again be responsible for both. In 2019, an executive agency (Hungary Helps) was created, initially responsible only for the humanitarian field and for helping persecuted Christian communities, but now including NEFE.
This year, however, the Federation has added a narrower focus to its analysis of government spending by analysing aid to NGOs.
Our other objectives
We will explore the role of civil society and the enabling environment for their engagement from a number of perspectives during 2024, both before and during the Hungarian EU Presidency.
We will also aim to promote a professional dialogue between the relevant actors – organisations and decision-makers – and the public, and to highlight the current role, circumstances and opportunities of Hungarian civil society organisations in society.
HAND Associaton