Slovak Partnership Days 2026: Building Connections for Better Lives

Held on 5–6 October 2026 in Bratislava, the Slovak Partnership Days brought together more than 30 representatives of UNDP Country Offices, Slovak partners and regional teams to reflect on emerging challenges and identify opportunities for future cooperation.

For more than two decades, Slovakia has been a valued partner of UNDP in Europe and Central Asia, contributing to the region not only through financial support, but also by sharing its expertise and experience. Together with UNDP, it helps partner countries build efficient, transparent and accountable public finance systems, promotes sustainable development finance linked to the Sustainable Development Goals, and supports innovative approaches to green, just and smart transitions. Today, the partnership is funded by the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic (MFSR) and implemented by UNDP Country Offices across the region as well as Istanbul Regional Hub.

SPD 2026 focused on two key topics. The first looked at the future of official development assistance in the context of the forthcoming EU accession of several countries that are core partners in the UNDP–Slovak partnership. The second addressed an issue that goes beyond this partnership and is among the most pressing challenges in development today: how to secure financing for development projects, particularly investment projects. For UNDP, this means moving beyond its traditional role as an expert in project planning and strengthening its role as a partner in unlocking concrete financing opportunities and connecting projects with potential sources of finance.

SPD hosted partners from Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, joined by colleagues from UNDP Brussels and Slovak partners, including the MFSR as the partnership’s donor.

A changing development landscape

With several partner countries advancing towards EU membership, participants discussed how enlargement is reshaping development cooperation, what support countries need on their reform path, and how development partners can remain relevant, including for countries not on an EU accession path. A Director of Development Cooperation from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Anna Plassat Murinova also shared perspectives on the future direction of Slovakia official development assistance (ODA), including its emerging priorities, areas for stronger engagement, and the role Slovakia can play in advancing complementarity across European development cooperation.

Lejla Sadiku from UNDP Brussels outlined the main trends in EU funding. She mentioned that many programmes are expected to merge into a few larger and more flexible funds, and that close to half of the proposed EU budget, including most enlargement and neighbourhood support, is designed to pay out only once agreed reforms and targets are met. Candidate countries are also joining EU programmes and networks years before membership. For implementing partners, the conclusion was clear: “Demand shifts to helping governments deliver.”

Beyond EU funding, a session on artificial intelligence showed how rapidly AI capabilities are advancing, and it was mentioned that an estimated 88% of organizations already use AI. As Ievgen Kylymnyk from UNDP Innovation Team noted, “AI’s economic impact could amplify development risks,” which makes anticipation, practical policy infrastructure and coalitions for a coordinated response essential. “Pace is a critical variable.”

What Slovakia brings to the table

“Slovakia is always looking for a niche where it can add value as a donor and bring its expertise,” said Viktoria Rieger Mlynarcikova from the UNDP-Slovak Partnership team.

She emphasized that Slovakia is committed to long-term, programmatic and demand-driven support that responds to partners’ real time priorities and delivers practical, sustainable results rather than one-off interventions. Slovakia also helps UNDP Country Offices become partners in other EU-funded projects, opening the door to larger sources of financing.

Alongside MFSR expertise in spending reviews, transfer pricing, macroeconomic forecasting or investment management, participants heard from EXIMBANKA SR on making projects bankable. As Matúš Šársky summarized, “Don’t just plan the change. Prepare it to be financed.” Slovak innovators also shared their experience: the Kempelen Institute of Intelligent Technologies (KInIT) on the future of green energy, from renewable potential to scalable projects; KAJO on building climate-resilient regions, using case studies from Slovak regions; and the City of Bratislava on building the foundations for digital cities.

From planning to delivery

Participants exchanged experiences and brainstormed together on the direction of future cooperation. Shared priorities included moving from planning to implementation, developing commercially bankable projects, creating a clearer route from projects to investments, and keeping a strong local focus, innovation and systemic approaches in line with the EU accession pathway. Participants also learned about co-investing in projects supported by vertical funds, one of the financing models that can help turn plans into investments.

North Macedonia offered an example of these principles in practice. The NDS Investor Map, launched with Slovak support, has evolved into a government-backed instrument with domestic financing committed to its continuation.

“Slovak funding shows the real value of catalytic development finance: relatively targeted support can de-risk new approaches, unlock additional resources and turn innovative ideas into solutions that governments are ready to scale,” said Marija Karaeva from UNDP North Macedonia.

The Slovak Partnership Days 2026 confirmed that Slovak experience in public finance, development finance and innovation remains highly relevant as the needs of partner countries evolve.

*References to Kosovo shall be understood in the context of UN Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).