Cooperación para el desarrollo

Cooperation for sustainable development

Spain's international cooperation policy for sustainable development is the main translation into public policy of its citizens' commitment to the countries and communities suffering the most from inequality and poverty in its 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), where no one is left behind.

Since the adoption of Law 23/1998 on International Development Cooperation, the overall political and legal framework has changed significantly. In this regard, 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, 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 Consensus on Development, stand out.

For this reason, Law 1/2023 on Sustainable Development Cooperation and Global Solidarity, approved on 20 February 2023, updates the Spanish policy on cooperation for sustainable development and global solidarity to the current parameters of the world stage and the commitments of the 2030 Agenda, establishing a new legal framework for Spanish cooperation to make it more effective, more agile to respond to new global challenges, and more transparent. Amongst other objectives, 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.

Project for the conservation and dissemination of cultural heritage in Mauritania (2019). Photo: Miguel Lizana / AECID

Strategic planning for Spanish cooperation is coordinated through, among other tools, the Master Plan prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation with the participation of other actors in the Spanish system of cooperation for sustainable development.

The current Master Plan for Spanish Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Global Solidarity (2024-2027) responds to the mandate established in the aforementioned Law 1/2023. It was approved on 23 July 2024 and sets out the objectives and priorities to guide Spanish Cooperation action in the coming years.

The Master Plan establishes the guidelines for all the actors in the Spanish cooperation system to base their work: the General State Administration — 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 threefold just transition SDGs. It also commits to a series of principles that cut across all Spanish Cooperation actions: the fight against poverty and inequalities, human rights, a feminist approach and gender equality, environmental sustainability and climate justice, cultural diversity and peacebuilding.

Project to support local economic development through specific training and technical support for two departmental vocational training centres in Podor, in the department of Saint Louis (Senegal, 2019). Photo: Miguel Lizana / AECID

In terms of geographical priorities, the Master Plan includes 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 with Latin American and Caribbean countries, all areas which Spain shares strong ties and challenges with. Further 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 unforeseen humanitarian appeals.

The AECID, a body attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation through the State Secretariat for International Cooperation, is the main body responsible for the promotion, management and implementation of public Spanish cooperation policies for sustainable development. The AECID has 51 Spanish cooperation offices (SCO) in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. 32 of these are Spanish Cooperation Offices (SCO), 16 are Cultural Centres (CC) and 3 are Training Centres (TC), located in Bolivia, Colombia and Guatemala.

Spanish Cooperation is widely recognised internationally and participates in the preparation, coordination and monitoring of sustainable development policies at global level through its active participation in multilateral organisations and initiatives for sustainable development, particularly in the United Nations system, international financial institutions and multilateral development banks, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the G20, with the 2030 Agenda as its fundamental point of reference.

Related documentation

Master Plan for Spanish Cooperation

Cooperation for sustainable development

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