The Council of Ministers has approved a package of voluntary contributions to various international organizations, reaffirming Spain's commitment to multilateralism, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Financing for Development Agenda. These contributions are directed to various UN agencies, the OECD, and the World Bank, and total 19,125,000 euros.
This aid package reaffirms Spain's commitment to a fairer and more equitable world order, and positions the country as a benchmark in international cooperation and sustainable development.
Contributions to United Nations
The bulk of the contributions will go to four major UN agencies (UNFPA, UN Women, UNDP, and UNICEF), with a total amount of 17,500,000 euros, reflecting the priorities of Spanish foreign policy in the area of cooperation. And they reinforce the strategic relationship of Spanish Cooperation with each of these UN funds, agencies, and programs and their objectives.
- UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund): Spain supports sexual and reproductive rights, universal access to health services for the effective exercise of these rights and the fight against gender-based violence.
- UN Women: The contribution is aimed at promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women, as well as preventing and combating gender-based violence.
- UNDP (United Nations Development Programme): Spain is firmly committed to eradicating poverty, reducing inequalities, strengthening democratic governance, and promoting inclusive and sustainable human development.
- UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund): The contribution is focused on supporting the protection of children's rights, the reduction of child mortality, the promotion of education and child health, equality between girls and boys, and the prevention of all types of abuse and violence against children.
OECD and World Bank
The Council of Ministers has also approved a voluntary contribution of 625,000 euros to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for the financial year 2024.
This contribution is broken down into several items: support for the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), to fight poverty and inequalities, support fragile states, and promote triangular cooperation and the evaluation of public development policies; the Development Center, to promote innovation programs, the construction of inclusive societies and regional studies on sustainable development; and the program on Taxation and Development, to advance tax justice in developing countries.
Last, Spain has decided to contribute 1,000,000 euros to the World Bank's Rapid Social Response Program for Adaptive and Dynamic Social Protection for the 2024 fiscal year, as part of the Spanish Cooperation's contributions to the financing for development agenda in preparation for the IV International Conference to be held in Spain in July 2025.