ODA Spending

How much ODA does Spain allocate to global health?

How is Spanish global health ODA changing?

Spain’s health ODA decreased by 37% in 2023. The larger contributions to health in 2020 and 2021 were largely driven by the additional funding dedicated to COVID-19 response.

How does Spain allocate global health ODA?

Bilateral Spending

Spain channeled 30% of health ODA bilaterally in 2023, including 6% as earmarked funding through multilaterals.

Multilateral Spending and Commitments

In 2023, Spain channeled 70% of health ODA through multilaterals. The largest share of total health ODA is channeled through the EC, followed by the Global Fund, and the World Bank’s IDA.

In September 2022, at UNGA77, Sánchez announced that Spain would disburse up to EUR237 million ( US$250 million) from 2023-2026 to foster global health initiatives, including a EUR130 million ( US$137 million) pledge to the Global Fund and other instruments related to pandemic preparedness and global health R&D.

Global health R&D is also important to addressing many of the global health challenges that disproportionately affect the world’s most disadvantaged people. For more information on how donor countries are supporting global health R&D across three main areas — 1) EIDs; 2) PRNDs; and 3) SRH — read the excellent G-Finder reports and explore the interactive data portal created by Policy Cures Research. Not all funding mentioned in these analyses qualifies as ODA.

Funding and Policy Outlook

What is the current government's outlook on global health ODA?

Spain’s ODA contributions to health increased in the period 2020-2022 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing importance of global health narratives. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Spain announced a reprioritization of global health and epidemic preparedness within its development cooperation policy. In April 2021, the Spanish cabinet approved the new Foreign Action Strategy 2021-2024, which outlined Spain's foreign priorities and goals for the next four years. The new plan prioritized strengthening global health as one of the 'vertical axes' of Spain's development cooperation strategy.

Global health remains as top priority sector outlined in the new Master Plan for Spanish Cooperation 2024-2027. Specific interventions in this area include:

• Health systems strengthening;
• Pandemic preparedness and response;
• Support SRHR ; and
• Promote research and development of new, secure and effective vaccines and medicines for all.

In 2023, the Spanish government started working in a new Global Health Strategy focusing on the “one health” approach, health systems strengthening, pandemic preparedness, global health R&D, and the fight against the most prevalent diseases affecting partner countries. The new strategy, which is expected to be approved and released by May 2025, will include an action plan for international development cooperation and an appeal for global UHC in collaboration with the WHO. Global health is expected to remain a top priority sector for Spain’s development leadership. GAVI’s Mid-Term Review High-Level Conference was held in Madrid, Spain, in June 2023. In March 2024 Spain co-organized the first Global Forum on Cervical Cancer Elimination in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, to discuss among other matters the importance of accelerating access to HPV vaccines, together with the Colombian government, WHO, PAHO and the Gates Foundation. In 2025 Spain will co-organize the first Global Forum on Child Survival that will take place in Mozambique.

Showcasing the importance of global health for the current administration, on 1 January, 2025, Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez participated at Davos World Economic Forum’s “Health and Prosperity Through Prevention” panel alongside with the CEOs of the Gavi Alliance, Sania Nishar, and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Peter Sands. PM Sánchez took advantage of his intervention to reiterate Spain’s commitment to global health multilaterals, underlying the importance of strengthening global health governance. In 2025 Spain came back to the Executive Committee of the WHO after 20 years.

Key Bodies