The Spanish State Secretary for International Cooperation, Eva Granados Galiano, signed the new Spain-Guatemala Partnership Framework for Sustainable Development 2026–2030 in Madrid on Thursday, alongside Guatemala’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, María Luisa Ramírez Coronado, and the Secretary for Planning and Programming of the Presidency, Carlos Mendoza Alvarado. The signing took place within the framework of the 10th Spanish-Guatemalan Joint Commission on Cooperation and also coincided with the approaching 40th anniversary of Spanish Cooperation’s permanent presence in Guatemala, which will be commemorated next year.
The new Partnership Framework is the main planning instrument for bilateral cooperation between the two countries for the next four and a half years and reaffirms Spain’s commitment to Guatemala’s sustainable development. The agreement is aligned with the Central American country’s national development priorities and with the 2030 Agenda, in line with Guatemala’s status as one of Spanish Cooperation’s priority countries.
The new Partnership Framework represents a significant development compared with previous frameworks. Whilst maintaining strategic continuity, it reorients priorities that until now had focused particularly on combating chronic child malnutrition towards a broader approach to sustainable territorial development, based on the recognition that malnutrition and undernutrition stem from multidimensional causes that require comprehensive responses linked to local economic development, decent employment and access to basic services.
Furthermore, the agreement reinforces the commitment to women’s rights through a comprehensive approach that includes the prevention of violence, access to care systems, the promotion of decent work, sexual and reproductive rights, and social protection.
The outcomes of the new framework are structured around the social, ecological and economic transitions set out in the Spanish Cooperation Master Plan for Sustainable Development and Global Solidarity 2024–2027.
266.8 million euros for sustainable development
Spain plans to allocate 266.8 million euros in official development assistance to Guatemala during the period 2026–2030, which represents an increase on the previous cycle and reflects the desire to continue strengthening a cooperative relationship that has been consolidated over recent decades. The funds will be channelled through various cooperation instruments and modalities, including technical, bilateral, triangular, multilateral and decentralised cooperation, as well as through financing mechanisms that support areas such as infrastructure and access to credit for small and medium-sized enterprises.
In an international context characterised by a reduction in resources allocated to development, Spain reaffirms its role as a reliable, stable and long-term partner for Guatemala, remaining among the country’s leading bilateral donors. Over recent decades, this cooperation has resulted in high-impact initiatives in areas such as access to water and sanitation, vocational training for young people, the protection of cultural heritage and sustainable development.
The new framework is also the result of an extensive process of dialogue and consultation with public institutions and civil society organisations in Guatemala and Spain, with particular attention paid to the participation of indigenous peoples and the incorporation of approaches based on human rights, gender equality, environmental sustainability and social inclusion.
The signing of the Partnership Framework for Sustainable Development 2026–2030 renews the ties between Spain and Guatemala and highlights the shared commitment to sustainable development, social justice and the building of more inclusive and resilient societies, on the basis of a partnership founded on mutual trust, institutional closeness and the determination to leave no one behind.
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