Policy Updates

On May 8, 2026, Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation announced it has mobilized EUR7.1 million (US$8.2 million) in humanitarian assistance through the WFP to address urgent food security needs globally.

The initial package was channeled through the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation and formed part of EUR10 million (US$11.6 million) approved by Spain’s Council of Ministers in April. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the funding responded to rising humanitarian needs linked to protracted crises and escalating instability in the Middle East, further exacerbating food insecurity.

The geographic allocation includes EUR0.5 million (US$0.6 million) for Palestine, EUR0.7 million (US$0.8 million) for Lebanon, EUR2.8 million (US$3.2 million) for Mali, and EUR3.1 million (US$3.5 million) for Niger, earmarked for the response to the food crisis in the Tillabéri region. Spain said the contributions, managed through the WFP, would strengthen humanitarian response efforts and help protect access to food and livelihoods for vulnerable populations.

Spain's AECID, fourteen autonomous communities, and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces agreed on March 10, 2026, to allocate EUR2 million (US$2.3 million) from the 2026 Humanitarian Action Convention to Venezuela, Haiti, Mali, Afghanistan, and Sahrawi refugee camps, with each project receiving EUR400,000 (US$464,000.)

The interventions align with Spain's strategic plans in the humanitarian field and are aimed at responding to five humanitarian crises. In the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria, Spain will support food aid for more than 133,000 refugees. In Venezuela's Delta Amacuro state, nearly 950 indigenous Warao children will reintegrate into the education system. In Haiti, Spain will assist the most vulnerable among more than 6 million people in urgent need of food, health, protection, and assistance. In Mali, Spain will help displaced people in host communities generate income and rebuild their livelihoods. In Afghanistan, Spain will guarantee maternal health care and protection services for women and girls.

In addition to these projects, a contingency fund has been set aside to respond to new emergencies throughout the year. Since the agreement's implementation in 2023, approximately EUR21 million (US$24 million) has been allocated to people affected by protracted crises and emergencies.

Spain and Panama signed a new Partnership for Sustainable Development on February 25, 2026, at the 8^th meeting of the Spanish-Panamanian Joint Cooperation Commission, with State Secretary for International Cooperation Eva Granados and Deputy Minister for Multilateral Affairs and Cooperation Carlos Guevara Mann formalizing the agreement.

The Partnership focuses Spanish-Panamanian cooperation on four strategic challenges linked to social, ecological, and economic transitions:

• The exchange of knowledge and promotion of scientific, technological, and digital capabilities for sustainable development
• Transformative democratic governance with a focus on gender, care, and participation
• Inclusive, innovative, and resilient economic and territorial development models
• A just ecological transition.

During her trip to Panama, Granados met with regional representatives for Latin America and the Caribbean from the main UN agencies, reaffirming Spain's commitment to multilateralism. She also met with organizations implementing projects funded by Spanish Cooperation, including the Red Cross, HIAS, PAHO, and the Ombudsman's Office.

As of January 2026, the total amount of projects and programs being implemented by AECID in Panama amounted to EUR85 million (US$99 million). Spanish ODA to Panama increased from EUR0.57 million (US$660,000) in 2020 to EUR5.9 million (US$7 million) in 2024.

The AECID presented the FEDES on January 23, 2026, a new instrument of Spanish financial cooperation aimed at mobilizing financing for sustainable development with Secretary of State for International Cooperation Eva Granados and AECID Director Antón Leis García emphasizing public-private partnerships and strategic alliances.

The AECID held a strategic dialogue session to raise the profile of the FEDES as a tool for mobilizing financing, strengthening coordination between public and private actors in sustainable financing, and generating collaboration opportunities between administrations, cooperation actors, private investors, civil society, and multilateral organizations. The event highlighted the FEDES' role in expanding geographical and sectoral reach to respond to global challenges including ecological transition, social inclusion, gender equality, and sustainable economic development.

Granados emphasized that the fund responds to a complex international context marked by growing financing needs and global challenges, representing Spain's commitment to modernizing its cooperation instruments. Leis García identified priorities for deploying the fund and building alliances with ICO, COFIDES, partner countries, multilateral organizations, the private sector, and civil society. The FEDES built on the FONPRODE's experience in mobilizing private capital for impact investment projects, making Spanish cooperation a benchmark within the EU, and established partnerships with multilateral development banks including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the IFAD.

Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation José Manuel Albares presented the country's first Feminist Cooperation Strategy on January 13, 2026, reinforcing Spain's commitment to gender equality and transforming power structures that perpetuate discrimination.

The strategy, which the Council of Ministers approved on December 9, 2025, prioritizes equality, empowerment, and the eradication of violence against women and girls from a cross-cutting perspective. Albares emphasized that the document represents a transformative roadmap at a crucial moment when the world faces serious setbacks in gender equality and access to sexual and reproductive rights. Secretary of State for International Cooperation Eva Granados called for international cooperation to be guided by a realistic and explicitly feminist program that accelerates the fight for equality and human rights.

The strategy rests on four pillars: rights, representation, resources, and partnerships. The pillars aim to advance the full and effective realization of the rights of women, adolescents, and girls globally, promote female participation in leadership positions, increase economic and human resources dedicated to combating gender inequalities, and develop strategic alliances to build a more just world. The presentation event at the Ministry headquarters included dialogues with representatives from international organizations, cooperation actors, civil society, and universities.

On Decembr 2, 2025, donors pledged US$1.2 billion at the annual UNHCR Pledging Conference in Geneva for 2026 operations, slightly above the 2025 pledge and covering nearly 18% of UNHCR's projected funding needs.

UNHCR's National Partners committed an additional US$350 million from private sector fundraising, bringing total pledges to US$1.5 billion. Several governments confirmed multi-year contributions extending into 2027 and beyond to strengthen UNHCR's long-term planning.

UNHCR Comissioner Filippo Grandi stated that early and flexible funding provided a lifeline to respond quickly to new emergencies and deliver solutions in neglected crises. Top government contributors included Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, and Norway, with substantially increased contributions from Ireland, Luxembourg, and Iceland. The European Union confirmed significant funding already committed for 2026, while Austria and Spain joined the group of governments pledging support to UNHCR.

Unearmarked funding pledged dropped to 17% of total pledges, nearly half of 2023 levels, while earmarked funding for specific countries and activities increased. Norway, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, and Ireland pledged the largest amounts of unearmarked funding.

On November 21, 2025The Global Fund held its Eighth Replenishment Summit, in Johannesburg, South Africa, co-hosted by the governments of South Africa and the UK on the margins of the G20 Leaders' Summit, securing US$11.3 billion in pledges to sustain the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

Partners from more than 30 countries pledged support to save lives and strengthen systems for health, marking the first replenishment held on African soil. The summit demonstrated global solidarity despite fiscal tightening, conflict, and global uncertainty, though total pledges fell short of the ambitious target set in the Investment Case and several donors had yet to confirm their pledges.

The US, the Global Fund's largest donor, committed US$4.6 billion. The UK pledged GBP850 million (US$1.1 billion), while Germany confirmed EUR1 billion (US$1.2 billion) and Canada pledged CAD1.02 billion (US$723 million). France noted that its support remained unchanged. Spain increased its pledge to EUR145 million (US$167 million), Italy pledged EUR150 million (US$173 million), the Netherlands contributed EUR146 million (US$169 million), and additional pledges came from many other donors. South Africa committed US$37 million, including US$10 million from the private sector. African countries made solidarity commitments totaling US$52 million. G20 member states reached US$9 billion in commitments.

Within the private sector, the Gates Foundation pledged US$912 million, the Children's Investment Fund Foundation pledged US$135 million, and (RED) committed US$75 million. Overall, private sector support reached US$1.3 billion.

Spain's Council of Ministers approved EUR46 million (US$53 million) on November 4, 2025, for the Emergency Coalition for Palestine through the Palestinian-European Mechanism for Management of Socio-Economic Aid, bringing Spain's total 2025 contribution to EUR50 million (US$58 million.)

The additional contribution added to EUR4 million (US$5 million) already disbursed by AECID. The MAEC described the EUR46 million (US$53 million) contribution as one of Spain's largest voluntary contributions ever made to a single institution.

Spain, together with Saudi Arabia, Norway, and France, launched the Emergency Coalition for Palestine on September 26, 2025. The coalition aims to ease pressure on the Palestinian Authority regarding payment of salaries and pensions for civil servants, hospitals in East Jerusalem, and support for vulnerable Palestinian families. The initiative responded to the Israeli government's freeze of tax revenue transfers exceeding US$3 billion to the Palestinian Authority.

The MAEC stated that a strong Palestinian Authority represented the only alternative for governance in Gaza and the West Bank, and the only guarantee for achieving stability, peace, and security for the region.

Spain has activated humanitarian response through AECID, mobilizing resources to address the impact of Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm that formed on October 25 and affected an estimated 1.9 million people in the Caribbean.

Hurricane Melissa caused torrential rains, flooding, and landslides across Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti. As part of their response, AECID deployed emergency medical teams in coordination with PAHO, including personnel from Madrid's local emergency services.

In Cuba, AECID has mobilized EUR500,000 (US$439,000) to provide shelter, health services, and drinking water following an appeal from IFRC and has sent sent 36 tons of essential supplies worth EUR144,000 (US$126,000), including kitchen and tool kits. In addition to these efforts, emergency agreements with various Spanish NGOs working on the ground have been activated in order to provide a comprehensive response.

Spain is also a donor to OCHA's Central Emergency Response Fund, contributing EUR4.5 million (US$3.9 million) in 2025, which has since allocated US$8 million for Haiti and Cuba. Meanwhile,the IFRC Disaster Response Emergency Fund, which Spain contributed EUR3 million (US$3.4 million) in 2025, allocated CHF80,000 (US$98,000) to the Jamaican Red Cross to support preparedness and early response.

On October 16, 2025, following the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza, Spain's MAEC, through AECID, launched a response plan to deliver humanitarian aid to nearly two million Gazans.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation José Manuel Albares confirmed the aid aims to end hunger and meet the basic needs of the Gazan population. The plan's first priority is to ensure that aid prepared since March 2025 can enter the area. AECID has 12 tonnes of medicines and medical supplies, and 19 tonnes of shelter materials ready for delivery. Since October 7, 2023, AECID mobilized over EUR50 million (US$58 million) in humanitarian aid for Palestine.

In addition to working with the UN system, including UNRWA, which already received EUR19.5 million (US$23 million) from AECID in 2025, AECID will expand its support for civil society organizations. EUR850,000 (US$987,000) will be channeled to the Palestinian Red Crescent and the local NGO Al Awda. An additional EUR3 million (US$3 million) in funding for Spanish NGOs is expected to be disbursed shortly.

The effort is complemented by funds from the UN CERF, to which Spain contributed EUR4.5 million (US$5 million) in unearmarked funding in 2025. The response plan will be adapted as the situation evolves. In 2025 alone, the budget allocated to the crisis amounts to nearly EUR21.5 million (US$25 million), and the figures are expected to increase before the end of the year.