On Tuesday 15 April, the Council of Ministers authorised multi-annual contributions of 84,530,000 euros from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). This is in addition to the 34 million euros approved at the previous Cabinet meeting, bringing the total amount to nearly 120 million euros, aimed at addressing global challenges through development cooperation.
These voluntary contributions, which follow the mandate outlined in the Spanish Cooperation Master Plan 2024-2027 and the commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, are regularly made to international organisations, programmes, funds and other entities, promoting better living conditions for people and a more sustainable planet.
These multilateral partners include organisations and agencies that belong to the United Nations system, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). They are all preferred partners in addressing challenges such as global health, gender equality, food security, humanitarian aid and multilateral response.
These contributions join the €28 million contribution to the United Nations Joint Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Fund through the State Secretariat for International Cooperation, authorised by the Council of Ministers on 8 April.
On the same day, multi-year contributions of €5.2 million to the United Nations Special Purpose Trust Fund, €283,000 to the Multilateral Organisation Performance Assessment Network, and €250,000 to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) were also authorised, the latter two for 2025.
Spain and the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is among the partners that Spain has undertaken the most cooperation with, totalling over €35 million, through some of its agencies such as UN-Women (seeking to increase the employability of women in Arab countries or to support the Safe Cities initiative) and UN-Habitat, which Spain is the only contributor to, and that aims to accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement by building climate resilience in vulnerable urban areas in Bolivia, Colombia, Jordan, Tunisia and Ethiopia.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which Spain is one of the twenty main donors to, also uses these contributions to promote the Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation and the We Decide initiative, an internal common fund to strengthen policies for social inclusion, gender and the prevention of sexual violence for vulnerable populations.
The Agreement also authorises contributions for humanitarian aid to the United Nations. Specifically, contributions of €14.65 million to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA); €13.5 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and €3.6 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Furthermore, there are several lines of work involving UNICEF, such as child protection through the fight against violence, exploitation and abuse of minors; digitalisation and social inclusion, and inclusive policies for people with some type of disability.
The Joint Sustainable Development Goals Fund is a strategic tool to boost the impact of those Goals, including food systems, energy, digital connectivity, education, employment, social protection and climate change. As a priority, Spain is promoting the localisation of all SDGs in coordination with the “Local2030 Coalition”.
Other organisations
Other well-known organisations, such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), with €200,000, are recipients of these contributions with the objective of achieving universal health coverage or exploring programmes focused on the relationship between health and climate change. The Pandemic Fund (which Spain is a founding member of) with €25 million is another recipient in this area.
In the multilateral sphere, Spain also coordinates actions with the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), with €3,120,000; the International Committee of the Red Cross (€6,900,000); the Union for the Mediterranean (€1 million) and the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (€1 million).
Therefore, at a time when official development assistance funds are being reduced and multilateralism is being questioned, Spain is committed to investing in institutions, funds and programmes that contribute to improving people's living conditions, promoting a fairer, more inclusive and more sustainable world.
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