<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) has awarded a total of 87 scholarships to promote the training of civil servants from Latin American countries and the Philippines during the 2025-2026 period, with a total amount of almost two million euros.</strong></h4> On July 28, the Agency published on its website the resolution granting the MAEC-AECID Scholarships for the 2025-2026 academic year, corresponding to the MASTER Program and aimed at public servants from Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Philippines. In total, 87 scholarships have been awarded to 56 women and 31 men from eleven countries: Bolivia (three), Colombia (eight), Cuba (36), Ecuador (two), El Salvador (eight), the Philippines (one), Guatemala (one), Honduras (four), Paraguay (three), Peru (nine), and the Dominican Republic (twelve). The beneficiaries, who have been selected from more than 300 applications, will pursue master's degrees at 30 universities across Spain. The total amount awarded for this call amounts to €1,882,820.94. According to the AECID, the Scholarship Programs have a clear development focus that complements the current State policy to promote training, knowledge transfer, capacity building, and the creation of opportunities within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, and in particular in relation to Target 4.b: "By 2020, substantially increase globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries," as well as SDG 16, on "Strong Institutions." With this award, the AECID "strengthens not only the individual capacities of the interested parties, but also their home institutions," it continued. Furthermore, "it consolidates Spain as a leading country for postgraduate studies," he added. "The MAEC-AECID scholarship and assistantship programs, now in their seventy-eighth edition, have established themselves as one of the most valuable instruments of Spanish foreign policy," stated the AECID Presidency Resolution approving the call for applications, signed on February 14 by the Agency's director, Antón Leis. "Recognizing the crucial role of education and training as drivers of development, the purpose of this call for applications is to offer the opportunity to pursue master's degrees in Spain to civil servants or personnel integrated into public systems, including the education and university systems," from Latin American countries and the Philippines, the resolution continued. "The profile of the recipient of this scholarship must guarantee the highest possible degree of impact and return on the knowledge acquired during the master's degree," it added. The objective of the MASTER Program scholarships is to complete official in-person master's degrees in Spain, with a maximum of 60 ECTS credits (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, a standardized measure used in most European Union countries to quantify students' academic work).
