A new framework for Spanish Cooperation: Law 1/2023
Therefore, Law 1/2023 on Sustainable Development Cooperation and Global Solidarity, adopted on 20 February 2023, adapts Spain's development cooperation policy 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 responsive to new global challenges, and more transparent. Amongst other objectives, it promotes greater integration into the European Union's cooperation policy and system, and a 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
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 sustainable development cooperation system.
The current Master Plan for Spanish Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Global Solidarity (2024-2027), approved on 23 July 2024, defines the objectives and priorities that will guide Spanish Cooperation action in the coming years, responding to the mandate established in the aforementioned Law 1/2023.
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 (social, ecological and economic) and to meet the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs. It also commits to a series of principles that encompass all Spanish Development Cooperation actions: the fight against poverty and inequalities, human rights, a feminist approach and gender equality, environmental sustainability, climate justice, cultural diversity and peacebuilding.
Geographical priorities for Spanish Cooperation
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.