ODA Spending

How much ODA does Spain allocate to climate projects?

In 2022, Spain committed US$297 million to projects which targeted action against climate change as a principal or significant objective, making it the 17^th-largest DAC donor to the issue in absolute terms.

How is Spanish climate ODA changing?

Under Spain’s Foreign Action Strategy (2021-2024), addressing the negative effects of climate change is a key element of Spain’s development cooperation with partner countries. Spain has reiterated its commitment to this issue many times. In February 2020, Minister Albares of MAEC highlighted climate change and sustainable development as one of the key foreign policy priorities in his current term. In June 2020, climate was again highlighted as one of the key features of Spain's renewed development policy, which was restructured as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.

How does Spain allocate climate ODA?

Bilateral Spending

In the Master Plan for Spanish Cooperation 2018-2021, climate action is listed as a strategic objective, within which Spain aims to support partner LICs and MICs in:

1. Reducing CO2 emissions;
2. Promoting the use of renewable energies;
3. Protecting biodiversity and fostering sustainable fishing; and
4. Facilitating efficient waste management.

Other development sectors within the Master Plan, such as rural development and water and sanitation, also include climate change as a component focusing on climate mitigation and adaptation measures. Climate-related finance is provided through the ODA budget and funding sources from the Ministry of Ecological Transition.

Multilateral Spending and Commitments

Spain is a strong supporter of climate-related multilateralism. It is involved in the:

• RIOCC: Spain pursues technical cooperation in the climate sector with partner countries in Latin America and the Caribbean through RIOCC and the ARAUCLIMA Programme. In accordance with the priorities identified by the RIOCC member countries, most technical cooperation measures and activities focus on adaptation measures.
• SICA: Spain supports SICA in implementing policies that foster sustainable human development and reduce poverty. Through this forum, Spain supports cross-cutting programs affected by climate change, including projects in climate resilience and adaptation efforts.

Funding and Policy Outlook

What is the current government's outlook on climate ODA?

In December 2023, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a 50% increase of Spain’s annual contribution to climate funding, bringing it to EUR1.4 billion (US$1.5 billion) at COP28.

At COP28’s plenary session, Sánchez spoke about the importance of increasing funding to fight climate change, underlined the importance of mitigation, and emphasized the strategic role of advancing adaptation in partner countries. He called for a profound improvement of the climate financial architecture and a transformation of the global development model.

In November 2022 at COP27, Spain and Senegal launched the International Drought Resilience Alliance with the aim to accelerate progress and help countries to get better prepared for future drought. In December 2023, Sánchez announced that the first high-level meeting on droughts, aimed at publicizing the work of the International Drought Resilience Alliance, will take place in Barcelona in September 2024.

Key Bodies