The Diplomat
The Council of Ministers acknowledged on Tuesday the approval of the Spain-Guatemala Partnership Framework for Sustainable Development 2026-2030, signed on July 9 in Madrid, during the tenth meeting of the Spanish-Guatemalan Joint Cooperation Commission. This framework will involve the mobilization of €266.8 million in official development assistance by Spain to promote technical, bilateral, triangular, multilateral, and decentralized cooperation with the Central American country.
According to the Government, the previous Spain-Guatemala Country Partnership Framework 2021-2024, extended through 2025, constitutes the main precedent for strategic planning of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. That framework focused its efforts on combating chronic child malnutrition, promoting a life free from violence for women, girls, and adolescents, strengthening the rule of law and human rights, and also incorporating a significant component of a culture for development.
Following the end of its term, the Spain-Guatemala Partnership Framework for Sustainable Development 2026-2030 was developed, with the purpose of contributing to the Guatemalan State’s actions to advance the construction of sustainable, inclusive, and resilient development that reduces inequalities.
Cooperation efforts will focus on three development outcomes: strengthening democracy, the rule of law, and human rights; promoting women’s human rights; and promoting sustainable territorial development. The agreement was signed by the Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Eva Granados Galiano, on behalf of Spain, and the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, María Luisa Ramírez Coronado, and the Secretary of Planning and Programming of the Presidency, Carlos Mendoza Alvarado, on behalf of Guatemala.
The signing ceremony took place within the framework of the tenth Spanish-Guatemalan Joint Cooperation Commission and also coincided with the approach of the fortieth anniversary of the permanent presence of Spanish Cooperation in Guatemala, which will be commemorated next year.
In accordance with this agreement, Spain plans to allocate €266.8 million in official development assistance to Guatemala during the period 2026-2030, representing an increase compared to the previous cycle and reflecting the commitment to continue strengthening a cooperation relationship consolidated over the last few decades. The resources will be channeled through different cooperation instruments and modalities, including technical, bilateral, triangular, multilateral, and decentralized cooperation, as well as through financing mechanisms that support areas such as infrastructure and access to credit for small and medium-sized enterprises.
“In an international context marked by the reduction of resources allocated to development, Spain reaffirms its role as a reliable, stable, and long-term partner for Guatemala, remaining among the country’s main bilateral donors,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted after the signing of the agreement.
