International development cooperation or official development assistance (ODA) is an integral part of the activities of developed countries within the international community. With its achieved level of economic development, Slovenia has joined the group of donor countries: the group which has morally committed itself to help less developed regions in the world. Slovenia's commitments are even more clearly defined with its EU membership. This article first defines international development cooperation or official development assistance (ODA) as the main subject of analysis. In the following section, the current state of affairs in Slovenia in the area of international development assistance is presented. The goals, principles and objectives of Slovenian ODA as seen through the authors' eyes are presented in the central part of the article. The authors suggest a possible organisational structure for ODA, which would enable implementation of the goals that have been set. The system of international development cooperation of the Republic of Slovenia is bound to evolve through time. How dynamic this evolution is going to be will depend on several factors. Among them, the dynamics of increasing ODA, as well as the ability of the government to implement the necessary organisational changes deserve to be singled out.
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