The SECI held a busy institutional schedule in the two countries, including meetings with the cooperation agencies and ministerial departments responsible for social development, gender equality, health and the environment, and with the different Spanish Cooperation units on the ground and civil society organisations and international bodies present in the partner countries.
The SECI visited different projects that address human rights, health, gender-based violence and social cohesion. According to Pilar Cancela Rodríguez, “the footprint of Spanish Cooperation is visible and tangible in communities in Colombia and Bolivia, with a major repercussion on people, particularly young people and women”, explained Pilar Cancela Rodríguez.
Health was a particularly important issue on this visit. In Colombia, Pilar Cancela Rodríguez, together with the President of the Republic, Iván Duque, attended the handover of a new batch of vaccine donations, following which Spain has become the leading donor to this country. A commemorative vaccine donation event was also held in Bolivia, which has now received 2 million doses through the COVAX mechanism.
In both countries, the State secretary visited water and sanitation projects, one of the key sectors provided for in the two Country Association Frameworks (Spanish acronym: MAP). “The Water and Sanitation Fund projects are flagships of Spanish Cooperation to improve the quality of life of people and contribute to gender equality and access to education, stated Pilar Cancela Rodríguez, who also pointed out that “collaboration in the environment and climate change sector will also increase, with a view to the just ecological transition”.
In the fight against gender-based violence, noteworthy lines of action were developed in Bolivia with the respective ministerial departments for women to introduce integral prevention systems to combat this form of violence. In relation to groups of African origin, the State secretary also highlighted the need to “include people of African origin in compliance with the 2030 Agenda and the Montevideo Consensus, guaranteeing their rights, promoting policies to fight racism, combat discriminatory practices and racial violence”.
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