"Development cooperation ensures our prosperity and security on this planet," says the director of the Czech Development Agency Michal Kaplan.

The workshop was held by the Association of Cities and Municipalities together with the Forum For Development Cooperation and the Platform of Entrepreneurs For Development Cooperation in the Senate of the Czech Republic on October 25, 2016. Its goal was to explain the importance of development cooperation for the Czech Republic, to introduce various actors involved and their contribution to the development cooperation, as well as to appeal to the politicians and large public for a stronger support of development cooperation. The speakers - the legislators, representatives of local governments, private sector and NGOs - agreed on that the financing of development cooperation needs to be continuously reinforced. The senators promised to help. "The time has come for the Czech Republic to return the help it once had received itself," says the vice-president of the Committee For Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security of the Senate, mayor of Sumperk and member of the Association of Cities and Municipalities, senator Zdenek Broz and he adds, "Besides other things, we will seek an increase in financing of development cooperation - since we find it very important, be it the good practice sharing or educational activities."

The OECD member states aim to assign 0.7 % of their respective GNP to the development cooperation. The Czech Republic does not meet the criteria with its rate of 0.12 % of GNP in 2015. The participants agreed on that this needs to change. The development of the world and the Czech Republic are closely interlinked. That is also on of the reasons why the local authorities should participate in development cooperation. According to the representative of Prachatice Robert Zeman the local authorities can not only realize concrete projects but they can also share valuable experience with capacity building and share knowledge of public administration.

The director of the Czech Development Agency Michal Kaplan stated that the agency can be viewed as the "center" of the imaginary net of development cooperation actors. The main mission of the agency is to efficiently connect the foreign demand with Czech solution. "Not only that the Czech Development Agency channels finances but above all, it also provides ideas and suggests innovative solutions," he added.

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