Policy Updates

On March 21, 2024, the EU announced a contribution of EUR268 million (USS$290 million) at the EU - LAC High-Level Event on Inclusive Human Development and Equitable Access to Health Products.

Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Uprilainen announced the investment, made in cooperation with France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, and Sweden. The finance aims to mobilize EUR1 billion (US$1 billion) to support access to basic social services and rights and increase the transparency and accountability of government agencies.

The contribution was made in line with broader :abbrEU - CELAC cooperation, which aims to mobilize over EUR45 billion (US$49 billion) from 2024-2027 to support the SDGs and other efforts in the region.

On March 20, 2024, the EU and the Belgian Council presidency announced a joint contribution of EUR14 million (US$15 million) for the African Medicines Agency and launched three global health partnership programs.

The support, announced at the high-level event on EU – AU partnership on Global Health for equitable access, comprised EUR10 million (US$11 million) from the Commission and EUR4 million (US$4 million) from Belgium. The support aims to advance the establishment of the African Medicines Agency, particularly as an end to strengthening vaccine production and health innovation.

In addition, the event marked the launch of three Team Europe initiatives on:

• Sustainable Health Security, which aims to increase PPR among African partner countries, with a specific focus on AMR and other infectious diseases, and will receive EUR128 million (US$129 million) from the 2021-2027 budget;
• Support to Public Health Institutes in Africa, which aims to bolster UHC and reduce health access inequalities and received an allocation of EUR50 million (US$54 million) from 2024-2027; and
• Digital Health, focusing on reducing health disparities and advancing UHC and PPR through technological and practical innovation, which received EUR87 million (US$94 million) from 2024-2027.

Between March 5th and 7th, 2024, the governments of Spain and Colombia, in collaboration with the BMGF, WHO, PAHO, UNICEF, and Gavi, co-hosted the First Global Forum on Cervical Cancer Elimination: Advancing the Call to Action.

Gathering hundreds of government representatives from donor and partner countries, multilateral institutions, CSOs, and health professionals from all around the world, the Forum took place at the AECID's training center based in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. It aimed to mobilize up to US$600 million to foster cervical cancer elimination worldwide by expanding HPV vaccine coverage and strengthening diagnostic and treatment programs within the most vulnerable populations.

The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, who participated at the opening session of the Forum, announced a pledge of EUR10 million (US$10.7 million) over 2024-27 to support initiatives in LIC and MIC partners. Albares underlined that cervical cancer elimination is a priority intervention for Spain.

On February 9, 2024, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Mauritania with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to strengthen development cooperation programs and human security in the Sahel region, green energy facilities, and migratory regulations.

Sánchez used the trip to sign the new Partnership Agreement Framework 2024-2027 between Spain and Mauritania. This new agreement, which accounts for an overall ODA budget of EUR60 million (US$64 million) to be disbursed during the upcoming four years, will be focused on the following areas:

• Fostering rural development;
• Strengthening public health systems;
• Improving food security and resilience of rural populations;
• Contributing to a human rights approach; and
• Facilitating national strategies implemented at the regional level in the Sahel.

Mauritania is among Spain’s top development partner countries. AECID owns a regional office in its capital, Nouakchott.

On January 22, 2024, during a high-level event organized by GWL Voices in Madrid, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that his government will provide multilateral organizations like UN Women and UNFPA with EUR100 million (US$107 million) through 2027 to foster gender equality and SRHR worldwide.

GWL Voices is an international think tank and network of women leaders committed to building a gender-equal international system. The announcement marked GWL Voices's first annual dialogue event, which was held under the title Women’s Turn to Reshape the Future: GWL Voices Dialogue.

GWL Voices took advantage of this event to launch a report, titled Women in Multilateralism 2024, to raise awareness about gender gaps in multilateral institutions and to call for a woman to be appointed as the next UN Secretary-General.

On November 22, 2023, during an event organized by ISGlobal and UNICEF Spain, the Spanish government announced that Spain will host the 4^th International Conference on Financing for Development in 2025, as outlined by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at UNGA78 in September 2023.

ISGlobal and UNICEF Spain joined efforts to discuss Spain’s role in global health and development in a high-level event organized in Madrid. The forum gathered government officials, including the director of AECID, MPs and politicians, CSOs, think tanks, and development cooperation experts to discuss the importance of Spain increasing ODA funding.

Speakers agreed that, in the current post-pandemic era, global health has a window of opportunity that must capitalized upon. They advocated for advancing the international pandemic treaty, investing in primary health care, and advancing through delays in the fight against diseases such as HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, whose progress had been undermined by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On October 11, 2023, the Spanish Royal Family announced that the 2023 Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation will go to international non-profit product development partnership DNDi.

The award is the most prestigious in Spain. In the announcement, Spain recognized DNDi’s accomplishments in advancing the development of new, safe and affordable treatments for some of the world’s most neglected diseases, including sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, dengue, river blindness, and mycetoma. The award is planned to be officially delivered in a ceremony chaired by the King and the Queen of Spain on October 20 in Oviedo, Spain.

On October 16, 2023, AECID and DNDi signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen collaborations on R&D combating neglected tropical diseases and other infectious diseases affecting vulnerable populations.

The four-year agreement did not detail Spanish-specific funding contributions. In the announcement, the agreement noted its goal to advance MNCH and gender-oriented R&D in Latin America and the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and Asia.

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 1, 2023, Spain assumed the one-year, rotating presidency of the Donor Support Group of the ICRC.

Spain’s presidency will be led by the AECID and the MAEC and focus on fostering health-related assistance in conflict situations and assuring International Humanitarian Law.

Spain's presidency was officially announced during the annual meeting of the ICRC’s Donor Support Group held in Tokyo, Japan, on June 13th, 2023. Cristina Gutiérrez, head of the AECID’s Humanitarian Assistance Office, reiterated Spain’s strong commitment to the ICRC and protecting vulnerable people experiencing fragile situations due to climate disasters or conflicts.