Humanitarian Action and Diplomacy in Spain: protection, relief and efficient response
What is humanitarian action?
The purpose of humanitarian action is to protect and save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, meet the basic and immediate needs of the population and promote their rights, all from a perspective of the reduction of vulnerability and the strengthening of capacities.
Spanish Development Cooperation's commitment to humanitarian action
In this regard, the Spanish Cooperation Master Plan for Sustainable Development and Global Solidarity 2024-2027, with its motto of leaving no one behind, addresses the paradigm shift for Agenda for Humanity, as set out in the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit and the Grand Bargain that same year. In March 2019 the new was adopted Cooperación Española Humanitarian Action Strategy (2019-2026) , with a multilateral and European-oriented approach. Lastly, in January 2023, the Council of Ministers approved the first Spanish Strategy for Humanitarian Diplomacy for the period 2023-2026.
Cabinet approves the first Humanitarian Diplomacy Strategy
AECID's Humanitarian Action Office: coordination and leadership
The Office for Humanitarian Action (OAH) of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), created in 2007, is responsible for the coordination and leadership of Spanish humanitarian action. As a body of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, it leads the management and implementation of aid in humanitarian crises and represents Spain in international and regional humanitarian forums.
AECID's impact on humanitarian action: millions of beneficiaries and resources invested
Since its creation, AECID has managed more than one billion euros and has reached more than three million people affected by humanitarian crises, whether due to conflict or natural disaster, including in Syria, the Sahel and Lake Chad, the Sahrawi Refugee Camps, the Palestinian Territories and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Spanish Cooperation Logistics Centres: effective response to humanitarian crises
In addition to its humanitarian outposts (Panama, Jerusalem, Amman, Algiers/Tinduf, Addis Ababa, Bamako and Niamey), AECID also has three logistics centres to maximise response capacity:
- Humanitarian Logistics Centre in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid), capable of operating in multiple crises simultaneously.
- United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) in Panama, with pre-positioned emergency supplies.
- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Humanitarian Logistics Base in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
![]()
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation during his visit to the United Nations Supply Depot in Panama in March 2024. Photo: Javier Hernández (Nolsom) / MFA
The START Project's “Red Vests": an immediate response healthcare team
The START project (Spanish Technical Response Team) or "Red Vests" project, has been running since 2016, helping improve the response of Spanish humanitarian action in emergencies. It is an initiative that allows Spain to have a first class team of professionals from the public health system, ready to be deployed in any corner of the world where a humanitarian emergency occurs. In April 2019 such an event occurred for the first time and the team was deployed in Dondo (Mozambique) to respond to the emergency caused by Cyclone Idai.
![]()
The AECID’s START team deployed in Hatay province, Turkey, to assist those affected by the earthquake in February 2023.
Spain in International Humanitarian Forums: continued support and engagement
Spain has demonstrated its commitment to Humanitarian Action and Diplomacy in recent years by rejoining the donor group of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which it chaired from July 2023 to July 2024, and by rejoining the Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP) until 2024. Spain has also chaired the ODSG (OCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) from July 2019 to June 2020 and the Council Working Group on Humanitarian Action and Food Assistance (COHAFA) during the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2023.
Conclusion: the importance of humanitarian action in Spanish diplomacy
Humanitarian action is a crucial part of Spanish diplomacy, reflecting a firm commitment to international cooperation, reducing global vulnerability and supporting populations affected by crises and conflicts around the world.
Related documentation