The Diplomat
The Council of Ministers yesterday approved the first Spanish Strategy for Humanitarian Diplomacy, which was among the objectives of the Humanitarian Action Strategy 2019-2026 announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs almost four years ago. The text will be in force during the period 2023-2026 and its elaboration has been coordinated by the Ministry with public administrations and civil society.
The Spanish Strategy for Humanitarian Diplomacy is a programmatic document with a time horizon of four years (2023-2026) that focuses on three objectives which, in turn, are specified in fourteen lines of action. The first objective is to prevent and resolve conflicts, and its main lines of action include preventive diplomacy, protection of the humanitarian space and the fight against terrorism, among others.
The second objective is to promote respect for international humanitarian law, including among its main lines of action the fight against impunity and accountability and the protection of medical missions, girls and boys in armed conflicts. The third objective focuses on protecting people in situations of vulnerability and its main lines of action include the fight against sexual violence and assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons.
The elaboration of the Strategy has been coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “with an inclusive approach of collaboration between public administrations and civil society”, continued the Department headed by José Manuel Albares. In addition, various ministries, civil society specialists through the Cooperation Council and the Spanish Commission on International Humanitarian Law, and recognized humanitarian actors, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, participated in the consultations for its elaboration.
“The exercise positions Spain among the promoters of multilateral priorities such as the protection of children, or medical missions in armed conflicts,” the Ministry continued. With the approval of the text, “Spain complements the Humanitarian Action Strategy 2019-2026 and fulfills the commitment made in the External Action Strategy 2021-2024,” it concluded.
Precisely, the Humanitarian Action Strategy 2019-2026, publicly announced in March 2019, established among its priorities the reinforcement of humanitarian diplomacy and therefore, the elaboration of an Action Plan on Humanitarian Diplomacy that specifies actions and reinforces Spain’s leadership in this area.
According to the Council of Ministers, the purpose of the Humanitarian Diplomacy Strategy is to harmonize all national policies and external action interventions and to establish a framework that allows a coherent response to the increase in humanitarian needs in the international arena.
The Strategy also aims to mobilize political and diplomatic instruments to more effectively promote respect for International Humanitarian Law (IHL), facilitate humanitarian assistance operations and provide a better response to populations affected by situations of conflict and violence. “The expected result is that Spain will consolidate the incorporation of the humanitarian perspective into its foreign policy, raising its profile in the humanitarian field and asserting its experience in this area, including in the multilateral system and particularly within the United Nations,” it added.
