Croatia Celebrates Transition from USAID Recipient to Partner
USAID Assistant Administrator Douglas Menarchik traveled to Zagreb on May 14-15, 2008, to celebrate the closing of the USAID/Croatia Mission and the achievements made over 15 years of U.S. development assistance to Croatia. In his keynote speech at the closing ceremony, Menarchik highlighted tangible results of Croatia's successful transition. "[Croatia] has been recognized as one of the leading economic reformers in the World Bank’s “Doing Business Report” for the last two years. It recently became an esteemed member of the United Nations Security Council. And just last month, Croatia was officially invited to join NATO," he said. "Croatia remains a strong ally of the United States. We are delighted to see the country take on broader responsibilities in the region, and in the world."
Croatia's Vice Prime Minister and Minister of the Family, Veterans’ Affairs and Intergenerational Solidarity Jadranka Kosor; U.S. Ambassador Robert Bradtke; Professor Josip Kregar, Dean of the Faculty of Law University of Zagreb; and former USAID Mission Director William A. Jeffers also delivered remarks. Over 450 Croatian partners attended this final event, including representatives from national and local government, civil society, business, the judiciary, media, labor unions, and academia.
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| USAID Assistant Administrator Douglas Menarchik, representing USAID Administrator and Director of Foreign Assistance Henrietta Fore, delivered the keynote speech at the closing ceremony for USAID/Croatia on May 15, 2008. |
In commemoration of Croatian-U.S. partnership and the closing of the USAID Mission, USAID donated over $100,000 to de-mine a 50 square-meter area of arable land in Vukovar. The donation was made in the name of each attendee at the Mission closure ceremony, who received personalized certificates acknowledging this contribution.
Aid from the American people has supported social, political and economic transition in Croatia, providing more than $320 million to build a better future for all Croatian citizens. Since 1992, United States development assistance has helped Croatia strengthen democratic institutions and facilitate postwar reconstruction and the return of refugees, support de-mining and economic development, and provide educational and training opportunities. The U.S. has also provided guidance and support to the Croatian judicial and military sectors to further Croatia's integration in Euro-Atlantic institutions. The Mission closure marks the beginning of a new phase of the relationship between Croatia and the U.S, which will work to sustain and expand upon gains made since 1992.
During his visit to Croatia, Menarchik also visited a successful Global Development Alliance in the city of Varazdin, known as the Microsoft Software Development Center. There, he handed over the management of the Center to the local government and the Microsoft community in Croatia. He also spoke before the American Chamber of Commerce about the important role of public-private partnerships and corporate social responsibility in supporting development.
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