<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) has published this Tuesday the provisional award of 52 million euros in grants to finance a total of 88 development cooperation projects.</strong></h4> The call for projects is one of the instruments of Spanish Cooperation to address the fight against inequalities and poverty. The subsidized projects in 2024 will be carried out by 69 non-governmental development organizations (NGDOs) in Spain and in 28 partner countries. For this year, the AECID has provisionally approved grants worth 52 million euros, which represents an increase of seven million compared to 2023, when 86 projects were approved for an amount of 45 million euros. In line with the provisions of the Law on Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Global Solidarity, in force since February 2023, the recipients of the call are all NGOs - including medium-sized ones - which, due to their experience and implementation in partner countries, carry out great work in development cooperation and contribute significantly to education for development and global citizenship. The main goal is to achieve impact through concentration in a single country and a specific development objective, with a maximum execution period for projects of two years. 286 projects were accepted for a total amount of more than 141 million euros, submitted by 168 civil society entities. Of these, after a rigorous evaluation and selection process, 88 initiatives were selected and received grants of up to a maximum of one million euros per project. Among the initiatives provisionally proposed for grants, 73 correspond to development projects in 28 countries, eleven to the line of Education for Development in Spain and four for the Sahrawi refugee population in the Tindouf camps (Algeria), within the framework of the humanitarian strategy of the AECID. The geographical distribution of the development cooperation projects in the 28 selected countries is located in the geographical areas of Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean, with 20 projects; 17 in the countries of the Arab World and Asia, 21 in Sub-Saharan Africa and 15 projects located in South America. The sectors on which these provisionally approved NGO initiatives focus are gender equality and women's empowerment, with 27 projects and 32.72% of the total budget; food security and curbing hunger, with 24 initiatives and 27.37% of the amount of approvals; and the promotion of inclusive, equitable and quality education, with 22 projects and 22.62% of the call's budget. Within the list of beneficiaries, according to the resolution published this Tuesday, six NGOs will receive up to two grants of one million euros each: the Madre Coraje Foundation, for a project against gender violence in Peru and another project on climate resilience with a gender focus in Mozambique; Arquitectura sin Fronteras, to contribute to the right to the city with an emphasis on women and children in Mozambique and to improve the nutritional status of the population at risk of food insecurity in displaced communities in Guatemala; and Fundación Ayuda en Acción, to promote the economic and social inclusion of women and young people in communities in northern Nicaragua and to boost the sesame value chain in Mali. Two grants of one million euros each will also be awarded to Acción contra el Hambre, for the development of diversified, inclusive and sustainable agro-pastoral sectors in Mauritania and for another project for a resilient and healthy environment in the Philippines; the Spanish Red Cross, for a project for the socio-economic development of rural food producers in Lebanon and another project for access to reproductive health services for women and girls, prevention of early marriages and violence in Mozambique; and Fundación Educación y Cooperación (EDUCO), for stabilization, promotion of employability and socio-professional integration of vulnerable youth in Mali and another project for empowered youth to exercise their social rights in Guatemala.
