Policy Updates

On November 21, 2025The Global Fund held its Eighth Replenishment Summit, in Johannesburg, South Africa, co-hosted by the governments of South Africa and the UK on the margins of the G20 Leaders' Summit, securing US$11.3 billion in pledges to sustain the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

Partners from more than 30 countries pledged support to save lives and strengthen systems for health, marking the first replenishment held on African soil. The summit demonstrated global solidarity despite fiscal tightening, conflict, and global uncertainty, though total pledges fell short of the ambitious target set in the Investment Case and several donors had yet to confirm their pledges.

The US, the Global Fund's largest donor, committed US$4.6 billion. The UK pledged GBP850 million (US$1.1 billion), while Germany confirmed EUR1 billion (US$1.2 billion) and Canada pledged CAD1.02 billion (US$723 million). France noted that its support remained unchanged. Spain increased its pledge to EUR145 million (US$167 million), Italy pledged EUR150 million (US$173 million), the Netherlands contributed EUR146 million (US$169 million), and additional pledges came from many other donors. South Africa committed US$37 million, including US$10 million from the private sector. African countries made solidarity commitments totaling US$52 million. G20 member states reached US$9 billion in commitments.

Within the private sector, the Gates Foundation pledged US$912 million, the Children's Investment Fund Foundation pledged US$135 million, and (RED) committed US$75 million. Overall, private sector support reached US$1.3 billion.

Spain's Council of Ministers approved EUR46 million (US$53 million) on November 4, 2025, for the Emergency Coalition for Palestine through the Palestinian-European Mechanism for Management of Socio-Economic Aid, bringing Spain's total 2025 contribution to EUR50 million (US$58 million.)

The additional contribution added to EUR4 million (US$5 million) already disbursed by AECID. The MAEC described the EUR46 million (US$53 million) contribution as one of Spain's largest voluntary contributions ever made to a single institution.

Spain, together with Saudi Arabia, Norway, and France, launched the Emergency Coalition for Palestine on September 26, 2025. The coalition aims to ease pressure on the Palestinian Authority regarding payment of salaries and pensions for civil servants, hospitals in East Jerusalem, and support for vulnerable Palestinian families. The initiative responded to the Israeli government's freeze of tax revenue transfers exceeding US$3 billion to the Palestinian Authority.

The MAEC stated that a strong Palestinian Authority represented the only alternative for governance in Gaza and the West Bank, and the only guarantee for achieving stability, peace, and security for the region.

Spain has activated humanitarian response through AECID, mobilizing resources to address the impact of Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm that formed on October 25 and affected an estimated 1.9 million people in the Caribbean.

Hurricane Melissa caused torrential rains, flooding, and landslides across Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti. As part of their response, AECID deployed emergency medical teams in coordination with PAHO, including personnel from Madrid's local emergency services.

In Cuba, AECID has mobilized EUR500,000 (US$439,000) to provide shelter, health services, and drinking water following an appeal from IFRC and has sent sent 36 tons of essential supplies worth EUR144,000 (US$126,000), including kitchen and tool kits. In addition to these efforts, emergency agreements with various Spanish NGOs working on the ground have been activated in order to provide a comprehensive response.

Spain is also a donor to OCHA's Central Emergency Response Fund, contributing EUR4.5 million (US$3.9 million) in 2025, which has since allocated US$8 million for Haiti and Cuba. Meanwhile,the IFRC Disaster Response Emergency Fund, which Spain contributed EUR3 million (US$3.4 million) in 2025, allocated CHF80,000 (US$98,000) to the Jamaican Red Cross to support preparedness and early response.

On October 16, 2025, following the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza, Spain's MAEC, through AECID, launched a response plan to deliver humanitarian aid to nearly two million Gazans.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation José Manuel Albares confirmed the aid aims to end hunger and meet the basic needs of the Gazan population. The plan's first priority is to ensure that aid prepared since March 2025 can enter the area. AECID has 12 tonnes of medicines and medical supplies, and 19 tonnes of shelter materials ready for delivery. Since October 7, 2023, AECID mobilized over EUR50 million (US$58 million) in humanitarian aid for Palestine.

In addition to working with the UN system, including UNRWA, which already received EUR19.5 million (US$23 million) from AECID in 2025, AECID will expand its support for civil society organizations. EUR850,000 (US$987,000) will be channeled to the Palestinian Red Crescent and the local NGO Al Awda. An additional EUR3 million (US$3 million) in funding for Spanish NGOs is expected to be disbursed shortly.

The effort is complemented by funds from the UN CERF, to which Spain contributed EUR4.5 million (US$5 million) in unearmarked funding in 2025. The response plan will be adapted as the situation evolves. In 2025 alone, the budget allocated to the crisis amounts to nearly EUR21.5 million (US$25 million), and the figures are expected to increase before the end of the year.

On September 26, 2025, at a meeting of the AHLC, Norway and 11 other countries launched the Emergency Coalition for the Financial Sustainability of the PA, with Norway contributing NOK40 million (US$4 million) to a crisis package.

The coalition, which also includes Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK, was established to stabilize the PA’s finances and preserve its ability to govern. The launch took place during an AHLC meeting in New York chaired by Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa attending virtually. The coalition demanded that Israel immediately release all Palestinian clearance revenues, which constitute over 60% of the revenue the PA needs.

The crisis package aims to support essential services like hospitals and schools. Norway’s contribution is in addition to NOK200 million (US$20 million) in budget support transferred earlier in 2025. The coalition will also promote a sustainable and coordinated approach with IFIs to support reforms and ensure accountability, affirming the effort as an investment in regional peace and the two-state solution.

On September 15, 2025, a UN Women report revealed that progress on women's rights is stagnating and regressing due to conflict, aid cuts, and a backlash against gender equality, and called on governments at the UN General Assembly in New York to commit to renewed action, highlighting that the US$420 billion needed annually to advance gender equality is a fraction of the US$2.7 trillion spent on the military.

The report, a gender snapshot monitoring progress on the SDGs, found that 676 million women and girls lived near deadly conflict in 2024, the highest number since the 1990s. Women are also more likely to be affected by rising food insecurity. The report projects that climate change could push an additional 158.3 million women and girls into extreme poverty by 2050.

Director of UN Women’s policy division, Sarah Hendriks, contrasted the US$2.7 trillion in annual military spending with the estimated US$420 billion needed to advance gender equality. The report also noted a digital gender divide, which if addressed, could lift 30 million women and girls out of poverty by 2050 and generate a US$1.5 trillion increase in global GDP by 2030. UN Women is calling for renewed commitments at the UN General Assembly, 30 years after the Beijing Declaration.

On August 25^th, 2025, Spain's MAEC signed three new SDPF with the Dominican Republic, Paraguay, and Honduras to consolidate cooperation aligned with the partner countries' national priorities.

The agreements are part of the reform of Spain’s sustainable development cooperation policy, implementing Law 1/2023 and the Spanish Cooperation Master Plan 2024-2027. The frameworks align with each country's priorities, focusing on social, ecological, and economic transitions.

Key areas of focus include reducing extreme poverty in Honduras, strengthening the rule of law in the Dominican Republic, and advancing gender equality in Paraguay.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation José Manuel Albares stated that the agreements strengthen Spain's commitment to the 2030 Agenda. New frameworks were also adopted with Peru, Ecuador, and the Philippines. Frameworks with Senegal, Colombia, and Guatemala are in progress, with Jordan to follow.

On August 20, 2025, Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation announced the establishment of new Partnerships for Sustainable Development, a strategic initiative to focus its international cooperation policy on key sectors with partner countries, the first of which was signed with Uruguay.

Minister for Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares highlighted that the new partnership model, based on the Law on Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Global Solidarity, aims to create a more effective system for addressing global challenges. The first agreement, the Uruguay-Spain Partnership for Sustainable Development 2025-2029, was signed on July 22, 2025.

The Ministry is also finalizing similar partnerships with Egypt and Panama. These alliances are designed as collaborative processes involving public bodies, civil society, and the private sector to address shared priorities such as gender equality, social cohesion, and security.

On August 19, 2025, Spain's MAEC highlighted its strengthened commitment to humanitarian action, noting it had tripled the AECID's humanitarian budget from EUR45 million (US$52 million) in 2019 to over EUR133 million (US$154 million) in 2024.

This increase resulted in a total 2024 humanitarian budget of over EUR181 million (US$210 million), a 7.4% rise from 2023, and placed Spain among the top 25 global humanitarian donors. Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation José Manuel Albares stated that the funding reflects Spanish solidarity and is a foreign policy priority. Albares highlighted Spain's presence in major global crises, including those in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan, as well as less-visible emergencies in Haiti and Mali.

In 2024, the AECID allocated EUR15 million (US$17 million) from its budget for specific emergency responses, such as for Hurricane Beryl and the migration crisis in Central America. The update on Spain's humanitarian funding comes as the number of people needing assistance worldwide has surpassed 300 million, with over 123 million forcibly displaced.

On August 14, 2025, the resumed 5^th session of the INC-5.2 in Geneva, Switzerland, concluded without reaching a consensus on a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution, though UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen and UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted that all member states agreed to continue negotiations.

Negotiations to establish a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution concluded without an agreement. UN officials, including UNEP Executive Director Andersen and UN Secretary-General Guterres, acknowledged the outcome but emphasized that all countries remained committed to the process. The talks, which included delegates from 183 nations and representatives from over 400 CSOs faced significant differences on key issues.

The US delegation supported an agreement that allows for tailored, country-specific solutions to reduce plastic pollution while opposing prescriptive, top-down regulations. INC Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso and INC Executive Secretary Jyoti Mathur-Filipp reaffirmed their dedication to moving forward and achieving a future agreement.