<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, signed this Thursday with the Egyptian Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, the Spain-Egypt Partnership for Sustainable Development 2025-2030, a joint agreement that outlines the priorities for Spanish cooperation in Egypt in the coming years.</strong></h4> "Today we take a firm step toward the future with the signing of the Partnership for Sustainable Development," an agreement that "not only consolidates our current commitments but also paves the way for jointly addressing future challenges and offers a reference model for the world of cooperation," the minister stated. According to a press release from the Ministry, the actions planned by the Partnership will focus on strengthening public institutions, responding to growing social demands, addressing the climate emergency, and promoting inclusive economic development. The signing, which took place in Cairo as part of the King and Queen's state visit to Egypt, comes at "a particularly positive moment in bilateral relations between the two countries," just six months after elevating the relationship to a Strategic Partnership during Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's visit to Madrid last February. <h5><strong>Priority country</strong></h5> According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egypt is listed as a priority country for Spanish cooperation, and disbursement from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) for this country has increased from €2.6 million in 2022 to €4.8 million in 2024. "With the signing of the alliance, aid is expected to continue this upward trend," the Ministry stated. The Spain-Egypt Sustainable Development Partnership 2025-2030 is structured around the three transitions—social, ecological, and economic—established by the 2024-2027 Master Plan, which include priorities aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. In this sense, the partnership will focus on sectors and actions that contribute to the triple transition and will explore opportunities for financial, technical, and triangular cooperation. “In the coming years, we will work hand in hand with Egyptian institutions to strengthen public services, generate employment, combat climate change through rural development, improve water management, and protect natural spaces. Furthermore, we will promote gender equality, promoting women's rights and their full participation in all areas,” the minister explained. <h5><strong>Strategic Alliances</strong></h5> Strategic alliances, provided for within the framework of the new Law on Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Global Solidarity, represent a new planning instrument with a solution-oriented approach at the regional or global level. Their objective is to join forces with the countries concerned to promote global and regional public goods and work on shared priorities such as equality, care systems, employment, social cohesion, and sustainable production, thanks to the shared vision of both countries to promote and defend human rights, multilateralism, and democracy. The first Alliance for Sustainable Development was signed last July with Uruguay, within the framework of the official visit of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to the country. Furthermore, progress is already being made in defining a new alliance with Panama.
