Spain's policy of international cooperation for sustainable development is the main translation into public policy of its citizens' commitment to the countries and communities that suffer most from inequality and poverty in their multiple dimensions. Spanish Cooperation
contributes to a new global social contract for sustainable, inclusive and equitable development, within the framework of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring no one is left behind.
Spanish International Cooperation has been adapting to the global political and legal framework since the approval of Law 23/1998 on International Development Cooperation until the recent approval of the new Law. This period has seen milestones such as the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000, the Paris Declaration (2005), the Accra (2008) and Busan (2011) high-level forums, the articulation of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation and, more recently, the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, along with other related agreements such as the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, as well as the approval of the European Development Consensus.
A new framework for Spanish Cooperation: Law 1/2023
For this reason, the Law 1/2023 on Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Global Solidarity, approved on 20 February 2023, updates Spanish cooperation policy to the current parameters of the global concert and the commitments of the 2030 Agenda, establishing a new legal framework for Spanish cooperation that will make it more effective, more agile to respond to the new global challenges and more transparent. Among other aims, it promotes greater integration into the European Union's cooperation policy and system and more effective and comprehensive management of Official Development Assistance, establishing a more robust structure and more coordinated, strategic and effective action by all cooperation actors.
The new Master Plan: a management tool for cooperation
The strategic planning of our cooperation is articulated, among other tools, through the Master Plan drawn up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation with the participation of other actors in the Spanish sustainable development cooperation system.
The current Spanish Cooperation Development Master Plan for Sustainable Development and Global Solidarity (2024-2027) approved on 23 July 2024, defines the objectives and priorities that will guide Spanish Cooperation's actions in the coming years, thus responding to the mandate established by the aforementioned Law 1/2023.
The Master Plan establishes the guidelines upon which all actors in the Spanish cooperation system must base their work: the General State Administration - through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), but also other ministerial departments - the Autonomous Communities and Local Entities, non-governmental development organisations (NGDOs), trade unions, the business sector and universities, among others.
The new plan focuses its vision on the role of international cooperation to achieve a triple just transition (social, ecological and economic) and meet the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs. It is also committed to a series of principles that cut across all Spanish Development Cooperation actions: the fight against poverty and inequalities, the defence of human rights, the feminist approach and gender equality, environmental sustainability and climate justice, cultural diversity and peacebuilding.
Geographical priorities of Spanish Cooperation
In terms of geographical priorities, the Master Plan includes, among others, West Africa and the Sahel. Spanish Cooperation will also prioritise work with partner countries in North Africa, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as Latin American and Caribbean countries, all of which are areas with which Spain shares strong ties and challenges. In addition, work will be carried out on an ad hoc basis in other countries to promote global public goods or to respond to emerging crises, with a particular focus on emergencies and unplanned humanitarian appeals.
![Presentation of the Master Plan for Spanish Cooperation by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation in Oc]()
Presentation of the Master Plan for Spanish Cooperation by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation in October 2024. Photo: Pepe Méndez (Nolsom) / MAUEC
The AECID as a coordinating body of Spanish Cooperation
The main body responsible for all this cooperation work is the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). A body attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation through the Secretariat of State for International Cooperation, the AECID is the main body responsible for the promotion, management and implementation of public policies of Spanish cooperation for sustainable development. To this end, it has 52 offices abroad in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. Of these, 32 are Spanish Cooperation Offices (SCOs, 16 are Cultural Centres (CCs) and 4 are Training Centres (TCs).
![Minister Albares presents a shipment of humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip.]()
Minister Albares presents a shipment of humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip.