Humanitarian Aid for Ukraine as a Pivotal Element in the Polish Aid Programme and an Opportunity to Amplify the Role of Development Cooperation in the Polish Foreign Policy

Abstract

Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the ensuing humanitarian crisis made 2022 a landmark year in terms of humanitarian aid to Ukraine and resulted in a huge wave of support, not only financial. Poland became known as a “humanitarian superpower,” and the attitude of Poles was assessed as unprecedented in terms of solidarity. The events in Ukraine significantly affected the Polish development cooperation system (Polish Aid), causing not only a more than 200 percent increase in ODA and the proportion of its distribution, but increasing the involvement of Polish actors. The answer to the question of how much the situation is likely to translate into an increase in the share of humanitarian aid, which is part of development cooperation, in Polish foreign policy depends on Poland’s further strategy of providing humanitarian aid and skillfully combining it with social potential.