José Manuel Albares highlights the Government's commitment to strengthening development cooperation on Aid Workers' Day

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, the European Union, and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, during his speech at the event, which was also attended by the President of the Government of Spain (Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa)

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, expressed his recognition and respect for the work carried out by aid workers, at an event at the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) to mark Aid Workers' Day, at which he accompanied the President of the Government of Spain. The event was preceded by a meeting with aid workers in conflict zones who shared first-hand their work in Palestine, Haiti, Ethiopia, Colombia and Ukraine.

At a time defined by Albares as "complex for peace and for the values of multilateralism and cooperation", the minister highlighted the government's commitment to strengthening cooperation, "we are not retreating, we will continue to grow".

According to data collected by the AECID, there are 2,317 people in Spain dedicated professionally to international development cooperation and humanitarian action in 2025. This number includes people registered in the Spanish Embassies and Consulates in countries eligible to receive official development assistance according to the criteria defined by the OECD Development Assistance Committee.

"Today we pay tribute to the men and women who represent the best of our society throughout the world: solidarity, the vocation to serve others, the commitment to a fairer world, a more sustainable world, a peaceful world," said Albares, who acknowledged that "the government and Spanish society as a whole have great respect and gratitude for your work."

These are professionals working in cooperation sectors ranging from inclusive economic development and democratic governance to humanitarian action, including work in essential services such as health, education and access to water and sanitation, or work in sectors such as rural development and food security, the environment and the fight against climate change or support for the cultural sector from a development-based approach.

Profile of the aid worker

A study carried out this year by the AECID on the profile of aid workers shows that women working in development cooperation abroad make up 55% of all aid workers, and that 78% of these professionals are over 35 years of age. By autonomous communities of origin, the largest group is from the Community of Madrid (21% of the total), followed by Andalusia and Catalonia (13%).

In terms of geographical areas of work, the majority of people working as aid workers (47%) are in Sub-Saharan Africa. The rest are distributed as follows: 17% are based in South America, 15% in Central America and the Caribbean, 7% in the Maghreb, 6% in Asia and the Middle East, and 2% in Europe. The countries that stand out in terms of the number of aid workers are Bolivia, in the Americas, and Mozambique in Africa.

A high number - 36% - of Spaniards involved in development cooperation in ODA recipient countries work under the coordination of Non-Governmental Development Organisations. The second largest group (27%) is made up of religious personnel, while 25% work for international aid agencies. Eight per cent of the Spanish personnel deployed in the field are working for the AECID.

Non official translation