<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The director of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), Anton Leis, and the undersecretary of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Joseph J. Capuno, have signed this Monday the new Country Partnership Framework (MAP, by its acronym in Spanish) 2025-2028 between Spain and the Philippines.</strong></h4> The signing took place in the context of the trip made by the director of the AECID to the Asian country, which began this Monday and will conclude on November 28, to participate in the VII Joint Spanish-Philippine Cooperation Commission and after the damage caused by the super typhoon Man-Yi, known locally as Pepito. The general objective of the MAP 2025-2028, as reported by the AECID in a press release, is “to contribute to the consolidation of a more efficient democratic State that guarantees peace, justice and equity, as well as to the construction of a resilient society against the effects of climate change and natural hazards.” To achieve these objectives, the treaty is divided into three areas of action. The first focuses on promoting peaceful coexistence and human rights guaranteed by the democratic State, the second aims to promote a green, inclusive, efficient, sustainable and resilient economy against climate change – “something that takes on special importance after the destruction caused by recent natural disasters,” and the third area is the empowerment of women, youth and indigenous communities, thus reinforcing the commitment to the development of the Philippine population, with respect for its own history and identity. The Philippines is the only priority country for Spanish Cooperation in Asia and this new Partnership Framework “seeks to highlight the excellent bilateral relations between both countries, reflecting the priorities of the new Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and emphasizing Spain's commitment as a key partner for the Asian country,” the Agency continued. During the event, the director of the AECID stressed that, “as we have just unfortunately seen first-hand with the tremendous consequences of the typhoons in the Philippines and the devastating effects of the DANA in Spain, in Valencia, it is truly key to work transversally to strengthen the resilience of our countries and advance in prevention and management for the reduction of risks of natural disasters, areas in which the AECID has significant accumulated experience.”
