Sánchez asserts, on Aid Workers’ Day, that what is happening in Gaza “has only one word: genocide”

Eduardo González The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, warned this Monday, during the inauguration of the event commemorating Aid Workers' Day at the headquarters of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) in Madrid, that what is happening in Gaza "can only be described with one word: genocide." Spain "will not turn a blind eye to barbarism nor will it participate in the daily exercise of trivializing evil," affirmed the Prime Minister during the event, which was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the European Union, and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, and brought together 220 representatives from NGOs, administrations, regional and local cooperation agencies, and universities. Also attending the event were, among others, the Director of AECID, Antón Reis, and the Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Eva Granados. During his speech, the president affirmed that donors are "the true driving force of cooperation" and asserted that investing in cooperation is not only a moral imperative, but also the best guarantee of a safer and more stable world: "It is protecting our sons and daughters. It is caring for the present and future of Spain." Sánchez recalled that, in 2024, the Spanish government allocated €4 billion to international cooperation, 12 percent more than the previous year. He also emphasized that the AECID budget has doubled to €700 million and that Spain maintains its goal of achieving 0.7 percent of Gross National Income in Official Development Assistance by 2030, as reaffirmed at the recent United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development held in Seville. He also announced that the reform of the cooperation system, based on the new Law on Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Global Solidarity, will be completed in the coming weeks. He also announced that, in 2026, the development of a Peacebuilding Strategy for Spanish Cooperation will begin, strengthening Spain's role in conflict prevention, mediation, and support for reconciliation processes. Pedro Sánchez took advantage of his speech to highlight the new package of measures "against the genocide in Gaza," which he himself announced early Monday in a public statement at La Moncloa Palace. According to the Prime Minister, what is happening in Gaza "can only be described with one word: genocide," and therefore, Spain "will not turn a blind eye to barbarism nor will it participate in the daily trivialization of evil." Albares For his part, Albares took advantage of the event to pay tribute to the men and women who represent the best of our society around the world: solidarity, a vocation for service to others, a commitment to a more just world, a more sustainable world, a world at peace. "The Government and Spanish society as a whole have great respect and enormous gratitude for your work," he continued. In a message on social media, the minister recalled that, in 2024, 383 humanitarian workers were killed worldwide, "almost half of them in Gaza." "On International Aid Workers' Day, we reaffirm our commitment to their work and protection," he stated. Cooperator profile According to data collected by the AECID (Spanish Agency for International Development and Cooperation), 2,317 people in Spain have been professionally involved in international development cooperation and humanitarian action by 2025. This number includes those registered with Spanish embassies and consulates in countries eligible to receive official development assistance (ODA) according to the criteria defined by the OECD Development Assistance Committee. These professionals work in cooperation sectors ranging from inclusive economic development and democratic governance to humanitarian action, including work in basic services such as health, education, and access to water and sanitation, as well as work in sectors such as rural development and food security, the environment and the fight against climate change, and support for the cultural sector from a development perspective. A study conducted this year by AECID on the profile of development workers shows that women working in development cooperation abroad constitute 55% of all development workers, and that 78% of these professionals are over 35 years old. By Autonomous Community, the largest group is from the Community of Madrid (21% of the total), followed by Andalusia and Catalonia (13%). Regarding the geographical areas of work, the majority of development workers (47%) are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. The remainder is distributed as follows: 17% are based in South America, 15% in Central America and the Caribbean, 7% in the Maghreb, 6% in Asia and the Near and Middle East, and 2% in Europe. The countries with the highest number of development workers are Bolivia, in the Americas, and Mozambique in Africa. A high number—36%—of Spaniards involved in development cooperation in ODA-receiving countries work under the coordination of non-governmental development organizations. The second largest group (27%) is religious personnel, while 25% work for international cooperation agencies. Eight percent of Spanish field personnel work for AECID.

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