How Spain organizes and funds its development aid

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The law defines international development cooperation as the resources Spain makes available to developing countries to boost their economic and social progress and help eradicate poverty. It applies to transfers of public resources by the General State Administration and sets the principles, goals and priorities of all Spanish public administrations.
2. Policy is planned through four-year Director Plans and Annual Plans, and put into practice through four instruments: technical cooperation, economic and financial cooperation, humanitarian aid, and development education and social awareness.
3. It assigns responsibilities: Congress approves the general guidelines and debates the plans, the Government defines and directs the policy, the Minister of Foreign Affairs coordinates it, and the Spanish International Cooperation Agency is the management body. It also creates consultative and coordination bodies such as the Development Cooperation Council and the Interterritorial Cooperation Commission.
4. Non-governmental development organizations can register in a public registry of the Spanish International Cooperation Agency. Registration is required to receive public aid counted as official development assistance and to access the tax incentives provided.
5. The law establishes tax benefits for these organizations and for those who donate to them, and allows annual budget laws to include development cooperation among priority sponsorship programs with increased tax incentives.
6. It regulates social participation: volunteers must sign a non-employment contract covering basic needs, and health, accident and repatriation insurance, and a Cooperant Statute must be approved within one year.

Who it affects

• Public administrations (State, Autonomous Communities and local entities): They must align their cooperation with the law's principles, priorities and plans and coordinate with each other.
• Development NGOs: They must register to receive public aid and tax benefits.
• Volunteers and cooperants: They are entitled to a contract, insurance and training, and will be covered by a Cooperant Statute.
• Individuals and companies that donate to development NGOs: They can apply tax incentives for their donations.

Words worth knowing

Ayuda Oficial al Desarrollo (AOD) (Official Development Assistance)

Public resources sent to developing countries that meet the requirements of the OECD Development Assistance Committee.

Plan Director (Director Plan)

A document approved every four years that sets the general guidelines, goals and priorities of Spanish cooperation.

Cooperación bilateral y multilateral (bilateral and multilateral cooperation)

Bilateral is aid given directly to a country; multilateral is aid channeled through international organizations.

Créditos concesionales (concessional loans)

Loans with terms more favorable than market conditions, meant to support recipient countries.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries