SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Oct 28 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The director general of Foreign Relations of the Government of the Canary Islands, Juan Francisco Trujillo, has presented this Thursday before the International Cooperation Commission for the Development of the Senate the Canarian cooperation strategy, the actions of the regional Executive in matters of decentralized cooperation according to the purpose to favor and stimulate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) contemplated in the 2030 Agenda.
The promotion of decentralized cooperation by the Government of the Canary Islands is reflected in the budgetary allocation for cooperation, which this year reaches 3.2 million euros compared to previous mandates, “in which no relevant actions are known and when The Canary Islands were in the last place in the Autonomous Communities, “said Juan Francisco Trujillo.
He outlined the main objectives of Canarian cooperation such as active participation in all events of the Spanish Cooperation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), or meetings with the autonomous communities, and especially the work carried out this year with all cooperation agents in the Canary Islands, such as NGOs, unions, universities, business associations, and civil society to establish the International Cooperation Strategy of the Government of the Canary Islands for the years 2021 to 2023, with a diagnosis as a starting point and in which general lines and priorities, specific objectives and lines of action and measures are set.
“In line with the Spanish cooperation, the mission of the Canarian cooperation for the period is to favor and stimulate the achievement of the SDGs and contribute to eradicating poverty, building the resilience of people and communities, reducing inequalities and defending and promoting rights human rights and fundamental freedoms, sustainable production and consumption models, the conservation of the planet and the fight against climate change from the values of decentralized cooperation linking the local to the global and helping to generate a critical and involved citizenship, in coherence with national and international policies for sustainable development, “he said.
In this sense, Trujillo highlighted that the Canarian cooperation shares the vision expressed in the 2030 Agenda and in that of the Spanish cooperation to contribute to the achievement of global objectives and goals such as Strategic Objective 1 of increasing and making the contribution of cooperation visible. Canary Islands to the achievement of the SDGs in impoverished countries, reducing poverty and inequality and improving living conditions, Strategic Objective 2, to expand the social base of the cooperation policy, promote solidarity, citizenship and global justice to through the involvement of entities and institutions of the Autonomous Community, and Strategic Objective 3, to strengthen institutional capacities and inter-institutional coordination of Canarian cooperation in its coordination with the State.
To comply with these commitments, the Government of the Canary Islands has drawn up permanent bases 2021, 2022 and 2023 for the call for cooperation projects and direct award funds.
The call for projects will be the main channel of aid to international cooperation for the development of the Government of the Canary Islands, trying to achieve a 70% budget dedication in a competitive competition regime with 1.6 million euros for this year 2021.
Another of the actions highlighted by the director general is the preparation of the II Master Plan of the Canary Islands Cooperation 2021-2024, which gives it a legal character to achieve the previous objectives, since it is based on the Cooperation Strategy, as well as its corresponding economic tab of 3.2 million in 2021, 4 million in 2022, 6 million in 2023 and 8.2 million in 2024 for projects and funds of direct award, the call for Education for global citizenship or the Emergency and Aid Fund humanitarian.
SPECIAL ATTENTION TO WEST AFRICA
Africa is, due to its geographical proximity to the islands and due to various socioeconomic factors, a natural priority for the Canary Islands, said Trujillo, who proposes to continue prioritizing work on the African continent and more specifically in West Africa through initiatives such as prioritizing the interventions in the continent, guaranteeing that a large percentage of the funds granted in the call for projects are allocated, and promoting actions to develop interventions together with African actors, as well as capitalizing on existing relationships with the countries of the region to identify and promote joint actions in the field of development, seeking the generation of synergies and respect for local initiatives.
It also proposes to capitalize on the presence of Casa África, the World Food Program and the logistics base of the International Red Cross, as well as their enormous dynamism in promoting relations with African countries and generating knowledge about the region, in addition to to carry out actions to promote African diversity, its potential and its challenges for Canarian society as a whole.
On the other hand, the director general of Foreign Relations will hold a meeting this Friday in Madrid with the director of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, Antón Leis, to address different issues related to the reforms planned in the Spanish cooperation system .