The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has approved a budget of 800,000 euros intended to support foundations linked to political parties with representation in Congress, in order to finance projects for "global promotion of democracy" aligned with the objectives of Agenda 2030 in gender equality, reduction of inequalities, and peace, justice, and strong institutions.
As detailed in the Official State Gazette (BOE) published this Thursday by the department headed by José Manuel Albares, entities dependent on political formations will be able to submit their applications from tomorrow and for a period of 20 calendar days.
The maximum aid foreseen amounts to 500,000 euros per foundation, and will be directed towards initiatives related to women's participation and equality, equal opportunities, and social equality, as well as the strengthening of the Rule of Law in countries considered priorities in the Master Plan for Spanish Cooperation. These include those in Latin America and the Caribbean, North Africa, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Projects must be framed within actions aimed at promoting Agenda 2030 and the consolidation of democratic systems, including, among others, conferences, meetings, or publications.
In the case of conferences, seminars, workshops, and other similar events, as well as meetings, analysis sessions, or debates, they may only be eligible for these grants if they are held in countries "defined as priorities by the Master Plan," or if they include the participation of representatives—speakers, lecturers, or panelists—from any of those states.
For their part, publications and audiovisual materials focused on cooperation for sustainable development must include a dissemination plan in one or more of the countries designated as priorities in the aforementioned Master Plan.
In any case, initiatives that do not maintain a direct relationship with the described objectives "will be excluded" from the evaluation and selection process.
The awarding procedure begins with a technical evaluation of the projects and will take into account the parliamentary strength of the party to which the applicant foundation depends, as the technical score obtained will be multiplied by the number of seats of the parliamentary group promoting the project.