| Spain Making a difference, together.

Spain is a key donor and partner to UNHCR in the protection of forcibly displaced people worldwide, with particular attention to women and children.

Spanish support to UNHCR reflects the generosity and solidarity of its citizens. Thanks to significant efforts from both central and decentralized authorities, Spain re-joined UNHCR’s group of key donors in 2020, returning to its pre-economic crisis level of support, and maintained this level since then.

While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (and its Spanish Cooperation Agency, AECID) is overseeing Spanish humanitarian action, UNHCR is also receiving support from decentralized authorities through its national partner, España con ACNUR.

UNHCR therefore enjoys support from Spanish public authorities at all levels, from central government to autonomous communities, provincial councils, city councils and other local funds. In addition to the generous support received from Spanish public sources, Spanish citizens are the largest private donor to UNHCR – contributing over USD 120 million in 2021 to our operations worldwide. 

Spain’s predictable support to operations in the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East allows UNHCR to protect and assist forcibly displaced people in some of the largest emergency situations as well as in protracted crisis, for instance Syrian refugees as well as Sahrawi refugees.

In line with its feminist foreign policy, Spain grants special attention to the needs of women and girls in emergency settings, including prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence, and prioritizes education, including higher education. Spain is also at the forefront of the Covid-19 response, supporting our response and donating vaccines to countries hosting refugees, most notably Iran.