José Manuel Albares, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, met today with NGDOs operating in Palestine to discuss the challenges these organisations face on the ground, including movement restrictions and the impossibility of issuing visas and work permits.
Albares, who was accompanied by the State Secretary for International Cooperation, Eva Granados, and the Director of AECID (the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation), Antón Leis, during the meeting, which took place at the AECID headquarters, welcomed the president and vice president of the Coordinator of Development Organisations, Javier Ruiz and Penélope Berlamas, as well as the Director of Humanitarian Action of UNRWA Spain, Lorena Gamito, in addition to representatives from around twenty NGDOs.
This Tuesday's meeting follows up on those held on 11 October 2023, at the initiative of the minister himself, just four days after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October, and on 29 May. The safety of aid workers and humanitarian workers in Palestine has been a priority for Albares since the beginning of the current crisis.
Through these meetings, Albares aims to maintain a space for dialogue and exchange with the actors of Spanish Cooperation who continue to operate in Palestine, as well as to listen to their concerns and requests. At the same time, the goal is to reaffirm the commitment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, as well as that of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, to cooperation with Palestine.
In this regard, Albares thanked the actors of Cooperation for their work, as they carry out their duties under very challenging conditions. He acknowledged that NGDOs are crucial to the current humanitarian response and will also play a key role in the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza.
Commitment to Palestine
The minister also reiterated Spanish Cooperation's commitment to Palestine, expressing his hope for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict that is wreaking havoc in the Middle East. He emphasised that Palestine is the primary beneficiary of Spanish Cooperation in the region, having received over 50 million euros since the conflict began.
Throughout 2024, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation provided more than 37 million euros for the region, which has been supplemented by another 13.5 million euros in 2025 so far, with a focus on humanitarian aid and development projects to promote resilience and mitigate the impact of the current crisis on vulnerable populations.
Our cooperation actions are focused on contributing to the establishment of a sovereign, independent, economically sustainable Palestinian State that upholds human rights.
Photos from the event can be viewed
here.
—NON OFFICIAL TRANSLATION—