Spain and Panama sign bilateral cooperation agreement for sustainable development

The Diplomat The Governments of Spain and Panama signed a new Cooperation Alliance for Sustainable Development this week, which develops bilateral cooperation around four pillars: knowledge exchange, diplomatic governance, economic and territorial development, and ecological transition. The agreement was signed this week by the Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Eva Granados, and the Panamanian Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs and Cooperation, Carlos Guevara Mann, during the 8th meeting of the Joint Commission on Spanish-Panamanian Cooperation, held in the Central American country. According to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Alliance focuses Spanish-Panamanian cooperation efforts “around four strategic challenges linked to social, ecological, and economic transitions”: knowledge exchange and the promotion of scientific, technological, and digital capacities for sustainable development; transformative democratic governance with a focus on gender, care, and participation; inclusive, innovative, and resilient economic and territorial development models; and a just ecological transition. During her trip to Panama, the Secretary of State also met with the regional representatives for Latin America and the Caribbean of the main United Nations agencies and visited Spanish Cooperation projects in the community of Nuevo Vigía, in the Darién province (bordering Colombia), one of the areas most impacted by migration in recent years. Granados had the opportunity to learn firsthand about initiatives aimed at improving local communities' access to basic services, such as the training of traditional midwives in perinatal technologies provided by staff from the Panamanian Ministry of Health. AECID in Panama In January 2026, according to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the total amount of projects and programs being implemented by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) in Panama amounted to 85 million euros. Spanish official development assistance (ODA) to this country has steadily increased in recent years, rising from €0.57 million in 2020 to €5.9 million in 2024 (the latest year with official data). This figure includes, in addition to non-reimbursable cooperation projects in various development sectors, a portfolio of reimbursable cooperation supporting renewable energy and water and sanitation, as well as initiatives linked to the Humanitarian Hub of the Americas, a unique platform in the region for managing and distributing supplies in emergencies, and cultural cooperation initiatives.

Related Content

The 23F papers: Haig's lack of tact and exchange of messages with the US

Congress denounces Trump's blockade of Cuba with votes from Sumar and PSOE and rejection from PP and Vox

Spanish Cooperation loses its emblematic headquarters at the Santo Domingo Convent in Cartagena de Indias

Albares conveys Spain's "support and solidarity" with Ukraine to Zelensky and Sybiha in Kyiv

Sánchez advocates for maintaining pressure on Russia with sanctions and military support for Ukraine