<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Council of Ministers authorized this Tuesday almost €20 million in voluntary contributions to international funds and institutions, including €14 million to the Joint Fund for the Sustainable Development Goals (Joint SDG Fund).</strong></h4> The Joint SDG Fund is a multi-donor, multi-agency development mechanism created in 2014 by the United Nations. Its objective is to unite UN agencies, national governments, academia, civil society, and businesses to support sustainable development activities. Spain has played a prominent role, with an initial contribution, in its establishment and development and is part of the Strategic Advisory Group of the Joint Fund for the SDGs. In September 2023, at the Sustainable Development Goals Summit, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced an increase in Spain's contribution to the Joint SDG Fund, of which it is already the largest donor, to €120 million, to be disbursed between 2024 and 2027. Furthermore, the Council of Ministers authorized Spain's voluntary contribution to the Special Purpose Trust Fund (SPTF), amounting to €2,400,000 in 2025 and €2,800,000 in 2026. Following the entry into force of a series of reforms to the United Nations System in 2019, the United Nations Resident Coordinator System was created. The SPTF is the primary funding vehicle for the United Nations Resident Coordinator system. Its funds cannot be earmarked for specific programs, but it is key to the functioning of the United Nations Development System. Spain is one of the main countries that consistently and explicitly demonstrates its support for the reform of the United Nations system. In response to the Prime Minister's commitment to UN reform, and more generally to strengthening multilateralism, it is estimated that, in 2025 and 2026, Spain should continue contributing to this fund, thus redoubling our commitment and further strengthening global multilateral institutions. Likewise, the Council of Ministers has authorized Spain's voluntary contribution to the Multilateral Organization Performance Assessment Network (MOPAN) in 2025 for an amount of €283,000. MOPAN is a network of member countries of multilateral development organizations that share a common interest in evaluating the effectiveness of the multilateral organizations they fund. Its mission is to strengthen the contribution of these organizations to sustainable development and humanitarian outcomes through the generation, analysis, and presentation of relevant information on the organizational effectiveness and development promotion of multilateral organizations. Finally, the Council of Ministers has authorized Spain's voluntary contribution to the regular budget of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) for the 2025 financial year, in the amount of €250,000. UN-HABITAT is the United Nations agency that promotes sustainable urbanization as an engine of development and peace to improve the living conditions of all people. Spain and UN-HABITAT have a long tradition of cooperation and collaboration dating back to 1986. This contribution would allow Spain to channel its efforts to promote urban development through multilateral institutions.
