The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, chaired the second meeting of the Sectoral Conference on Global Solidarity and Sustainable Development Cooperation, which plays a key role in strengthening coordination of cooperation activities between the Central Administration, the Autonomous Communities and local authorities.
This meeting cemented a more plural and coherent approach to cooperation, bringing together all levels of the administration in order to strengthen Spain's response to major global challenges.
Established under Act 1/2023 on Global Solidarity and Sustainable Development Cooperation, the Conference is a space for dialogue and coordination and is held at least once a year. Its functions include that of ensuring the coherence of sustainable development policies, the sharing of information between administrations, and the creation of specialized working groups.
Progress in cooperation and international commitment
The meeting represented an opportunity to take stock of the main milestones of Spanish Cooperation and to discuss priorities for the current year. Particular attention was paid to the commitment—set forth in the above-mentioned Act—to increase official development assistance (ODA) contributions to 0.7% of gross national income by 2030.
In this regard, Spain continues to make progress: according to data published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Spain’s ODA contribution has increased by 13% to 0.27% of GNI, in a year in which global ODA has fallen by 26%.
Greater coordination and transparency
The Conference also focused on strengthening the transparency and effectiveness of cooperation. Current initiatives include development of a system of indicators shared at all levels of administration—Central, Autonomous and local—and promotion of technical cooperation, facilitating the participation of professionals from different public administrations in international projects.
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A space for multi-level cooperation
The meeting, chaired by Minister Albares, was also attended by representatives of the Autonomous Communities and the Confederation of Cooperation and Solidarity Funds (CONFOCOS), in line with the inclusive approach of the Conference.
During this second session, the duties of Conference Vice-Chair were officially passed from the Basque Country to Catalonia, following the established rotation system.
With this second meeting, Spain has made progress toward cementing a more coordinated, transparent and effective cooperation policy that will enable Spain to respond to global challenges with a collaborative, solidarity-based approach.