The AECID Technical Cooperation Office in the Philippines

The Spanish Cooperation has a long and extensive history with the Philippines. The first Cooperation Agreement between the Philippines and Spain was signed in 1974. The opening of the Technical Cooperation Office (OTC) took place in 1992 and paved the way for a substantial improvement in technical cooperation relationships. The OTC has recently moved its premises into the Spanish Embassy in Manila. Currently, a total of 10 individuals, comprising of local and expatriated staff, pay close attention to the projects funded by the Spanish Cooperation in the Philippines.

4. The opening of the Technical Cooperation Office (OTC) took place in 1992 and paved the way for a substantial improvement in technical cooperation relationships. The OTC has recently moved its premises into the Spanish Embassy in Manila. Currently, a total of 10 individuals, comprising of local and expatriated staff, pay close attention to the projects funded by the Spanish Cooperation in the Philippines.

The General Objective of the Spanish Cooperation in the Philippines is to contribute to the fight against poverty, and to sustainable human development, strengthening democracy and attending to the diversity of the Philippine society, with special attention/focus on the poorest and most vulnerable sectors. This objective has as reference the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the socioeconomic reality of the Philippines and the willingness of the Philippine Government to tackle existing challenges, through its development plans and policies.

Legal framework

Cooperation between the two countries is regulated through an instrument called Spain- Philippines Joint Commission on Development Cooperation which, at the same time includes the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) as an element for planification. The VI Spain-Philippines Joint Commission on Development Cooperation, signed in Manila on 24 March 2014, is currently in force, with the objective of aligning itself with the political cycle of the new administration.

The CPF, as a new instrument for planification, is characterized by granting a more decisive role to the dialogue with the partner country in defining and prioritizing the sectors of action, as well as geographical areas of intervention, taking into account the Spanish stakeholders cooperation present in the country and the rest of the donors, especially the Delegation of the European Union. Sectoral concentration is precisely one of the greatest challenges in this process, since it allows for more effectiveness in our actions by directing efforts in a consensual manner. Spain is one of the countries complying with the EU Code of Conduct on the Distribution of Labor (approved in October 2008), which puts the maximum number of three sectors an EU country can work on with each partner country, as stated by the current V Master Plan of the Spanish Cooperation for 2018-2022.