Policy Updates

On July 13, 2023, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation José Manuel Albares and the director of AECID Antón Leis participated at the EU - CLACS Society Forum organized in Brussels, Belgium.

The meeting took place in the framework of the 3^rd EU- CLACS Summit, held from July 17-18, 2023. The summit prioritized innovative solutions for sustainable and inclusive development in the LAC region.

Albares highlighted that Spain, the EU, and the LAC region share a common approach in the areas of sustainable development, democratic values, human rights, peace, and the environment.

The EU - CLACS Civil Society Forum gathered government officials, development NGOs, youth collectives and other civil society groups. The civil society forum provided the EU - CLACS Summit with ten specific recommendations on gender equality, global health, the caring economy, democratic participation, digitalization, climate change, and education.

On July 10, 2023, German development minister Svenja Schulze took over the Presidency of the Sahel Alliance from Spain.

Schulze outlined three priorities for her presidency:

1. Creating paths out of the crisis by offering more education, training, and employment;
2. Making societies more resilient through social protection and long-term solutions for food security that go beyond emergency relief; and
3. Recovering areas that the government has lost control over and providing people with basic services.
   
   Schulze emphasized the empowerment of girls and women, who are often main income-earners and can significantly impact regional development.
   
   With over EUR28 billion (US$31 billion) in support for initiatives, the Sahel Alliance is the region's biggest alliance of international supporters.

On January 11-12, 2023, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation José Manuel Albares visited Niger, Nigeria, and Guinea Bissau to reiterate Spain’s commitment to Western Africa and the Sahel region.

According to a press release published by the MAEC, this trip aimed to strengthen ties with African countries ahead of the Spanish Presidency of the European Council in the second half of 2023. Albares underlined Spain’s engagement to address several challenges affecting the region such as terrorism, extreme poverty, climate change, and food security.

Albares and the foreign minister of Niger, Hassoumi Massaoudou, signed the new 'Country Partnership Framework' (‘Marco Asociación País’ or MAP) to steer Spain’s development cooperation interventions in the Sahel country for the period 2023-2027. The new plan focused on rural development; socio-economic development; health; education, with a special attention to girls’ education; food security; and gender equality. The MAEC estimated that Spain will disburse around €60 million (US$64 million) to Niger as bilateral ODA for the period 2023-2027.

On November 17, 2022, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) announced that it will channel up to €180 million (US$186 million) through development NGO programs between 2022 and 2025.

The funds represent a 13% increase compared to the €159 million (US$164 million) allocated in the 2018-2022 period. The funds will benefit 31 development NGOs based in Spain, and will enable the organizations to conduct 63 programs in partner countries in sectors such as inclusive education and public health, among others.

On September 22, 2022, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressed a statement to the plenary session of the 77th General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA) outlining Spain's development priorities of global health, food security, climate change, education, and gender equality.
Sánchez reiterated his commitment to increasing Spain’s official development assistance (ODA) to 0.7% of its gross national income by 2030, as underlined in the development cooperation bill that will be approved by the end of 2022.
He also provided updates on Spanish development finance and strategic priorities. Key takeaways included: \

• Sánchez's announcement that Spain would disburse up to €237 million (US$235 million) from 2023 - 2026 to foster global health initiatives, including a €130 million (US$129 million) pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) and other instruments related to pandemic preparedness and global health R&D;
• A €237 million (US$235 million) pledge aimed at addressing the current food crisis caused by the Ukrainian war;
• An agreement between Spain and Senegal to promote the creation of an International Alliance for Resilience for Drought, an initiative that will be presented at the UN Climate Change Conference COP 2022 to be held in Egypt in November;
• The establishment of the UN's GIGA Technology Center for digital education in Barcelona; and
• A statement that Spain will contribute €100 million (US$99 million) over 2023 - 2026 to different organizations, including UN Women, that work on gender equality and particularly on sexual rights and reproductive health programs.

On September 19, 2022, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez met with the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss several topics concerning international relations such as the Ukrainian conflict and the global food security crisis.
Sánchez and Guterres discussed the need to strengthen multilateral institutions to effectively manage global challenges. In addition to discussion about the new Giga Technology Center that will be opened in Barcelona, Sánchez and Guterres spoke on food shortages caused by the war in Ukraine ahead of the Global Food Security Summit, a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) side event, which will be co-hosted by Spain, US, EU, and the African Union (AU) on September 20, 2022, in New York.
Press release – la Moncloa (in Spanish)

On July 1, 2022, the Spanish philanthropic institution “la Caixa” Foundation will commemorate its 25th anniversary of its international cooperation program with the organization of a high-level event in Barcelona, Spain.

Different personalities among global health professionals, researchers and development experts, such as the President of the Global Development Division at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Chris Elias, the Founder of the Foundation Community Development, Graça Machel, or the Executive Director of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Seth Berckley, will participate in this event.

The “la Caixa” foundation has become the largest European private donor of Gavi, mainly due to the funds mobilized through the“Business Alliance for Child Vaccination”, an initiative launched in 2015 that raises voluntary contributions from Spanish private companies and “la Caixa” bank customers. Global health, global health R&D, and education are among the top strategic priorities of “la Caixa” foundation.

On June 21 - 22, 2022, the Spanish State Secretary for International Cooperation, Pilar Cancela, and the Director of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), Antón Leis, participated in the ‘European Development Days’ held in Brussels, Belgium, by the European Commission.

Pilar Cancela and Antón Leis, representing Spain’s development cooperation administration, took part in these events to share experiences and exchange views on the European Union’s global development policies. Both representatives underlined the importance of innovation, knowledge transfer, digitalization, and inclusive education as cornerstones of Spain’s development policy.

Press release - AECID (in Spanish)

On March 27, 2022, the Spanish State Secretary for International Cooperation Pilar Cancela concluded her first official visit to the Sahel Region. Cancela met with high-level government appointees from Mauritania and Senegal, two of the priority partner countries for Spain’s development policy, and participated in the 9th Water World Forum, held in Dakar from March 21 - 26, 2022, to advance solutions towards water and sanitation worldwide.

Spain’s development leadership also visited development programs supported by Spanish development cooperation in priority areas, which included rural development, food security, climate change, health systems strengthening, maternal, newborn and child health, women’s health, gender equality, and higher education.

Cancela reaffirmed the Sahel region as a priority for Spain's development cooperation. Both the current Master Plan for Spanish Cooperation (2018-2021) and the new development bill, which is expected to be adopted by June 2022, highlight Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal as key partner countries for bilateral cooperation.

Press release – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (in Spanish)

On March 18, 2022, the Spanish State Secretary for International Cooperation, Pilar Cancela, and the Mauritanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at fostering bilateral cooperation in science, education, and culture.

The signature of this new partnership agreement, which will operate until the end of 2024, preceeded State Secretary Cancela’s upcoming visit to Mauritania and Senegal. The Sahel region is among the geographic priorities of Spain’s development policy.

Press release – MAEC (in Spanish)