EL BLOG DE LA FIIAPP. Cooperación Española

Horizontal political dialogue between the state and indigenous women, police training on gender-based violence and the launch of an official platform on environmental statistics. These are just a few examples of the milestones achieved in Paraguay with the support of the European cooperation programme led by the FIIAPP/Spanish Cooperation. Through the work of the programme and the commitment of Paraguayan partner institutions, the country strengthens its public systems and advances in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Among the actions carried out, more than 2,500 civil servants have been trained in areas such as equality, security and climate.

Public policies: indigenous women participate in decision making

For the first time in the country, indigenous women have initiated a political dialogue – led by the Ministry of Women with the support of the National Indigenous Institute – with the public institutions that are part of the Inter-Institutional Roundtable for the Prevention of Violence against Women (PREVIM). The initiative has made it possible to reflect on the effectiveness of existing policies, considering the cultural and social particularities of indigenous women, and the first agreements have been reached to include in their protocols for action.

Minutes have been signed with each of the participating institutions, documenting the history of encounters between indigenous women and the state. These minutes, although they vary in detail depending on the institution, recognise the need to train public personnel on issues such as intercultural justice, the importance of communicating information in the native language of the affected person, as well as the management of myths that act as barriers in dealing with cases of violence, among other critical aspects such as the modification of protocols to incorporate the points suggested by indigenous women.

The working groups were established as nuclei for continuous discussion where each institution collaborates directly with indigenous representatives, which facilitates the creation and reformulation of policies from an intersectional approach. The signing of the first agreements at the end of these roundtables symbolised a tangible commitment to significant structural changes.

Launch of the first Atlas of Environmental Statistics in Paraguay

How many people die from natural disasters in Paraguay, per 100,000 inhabitants?

What is the rate of protected species of flora and fauna? What is the mortality rate attributable to unsafe water?

The National Institute of Statistics (INE) and the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADES) have launched Paraguay’s first Atlas of Environmental Statistics to provide data on these and other questions related to environmental statistics. This launch, highlighted in President Santiago Peña’s recent management report, marks a significant milestone in the country’s environmental management.

The Atlas of Environmental Statistics of Paraguay is an innovative web platform that brings together essential information from the environmental sector in a dynamic interface, including a wide range of data, metadata, maps and interactive graphics. The tool not only provides access to detailed and up-to-date information on the state of the environment in Paraguay, but also promotes greater transparency and facilitates the understanding of current environmental challenges.

This project has been developed as a key element of the Subsystem of Environmental Statistics, framed within the National Strategy for Statistical Development (ENDE). Its main objective is to centralise and make visible the generation of environmental data by all the entities involved, thus improving the capacity to respond to the sector’s information demands and supporting evidence-based decision-making for the conservation and sustainable management of the environment in Paraguay.

Training for police officers in dealing with victims of gender-based violence

Paraguay has registered 18 femicides so far this year. According to data from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, in the first half of 2024, 18,876 complaints related to gender violence were registered throughout the country. According to the statistics, the figure represents an increase of 16% in relation to the first six months of last year, and 50% in comparison with data from the same period in 2020. (https://www.ultimahora.com/estado-debe-accionar-sobre-el-aumento-de-la-violencia-familiar)

In this context, the project has supported a training programme for police personnel designed to strengthen the institutional response to reports of violence against women. This programme, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, the National Police Command and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, has trained more than 500 police officers in the departments of Central, Caaguazú and Alto Paraná, regions with high rates of reported gender-based violence.

This training cycle is carried out in collaboration with the Higher Institute of Police Education (ISEPOL) and is based on a new methodology where the problem of violence against women is not only approached from a regulatory and police responsibility perspective, but also from a comprehensive perspective that appeals to empathy and recognises the value of those who are on the front line in the care of victims.

It is an unprecedented milestone for ISEPOL, which aims to train more than 900 police officers in total, the highest number to date in the training of police officers. Furthermore, this initiative stands out as the first to deliver training through an experiential methodology, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the Ministry of Interior. This innovative approach not only broadens the competencies of police officers, but also strengthens inter-ministerial cooperation for more effective and empathetic management within the security forces.

Inter-institutional collaboration: signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic (CGR) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE) consolidated their cooperation through a memorandum of understanding to unify efforts in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This agreement will promote closer collaboration in the monitoring of policies and programmes linked to the SDGs in the country.

Progress and challenges in implementing the SDGs: 2024 Steering Committee meeting

At the Steering Committee meeting, the progress and challenges of the programme until its completion in December 2024 were presented. The highest authorities of our partner institutions and the Delegation of the European Union in the country were present, as well as mayors of the 10 municipalities with which we work.   The importance of having data for planning and decision making with special emphasis on the territorial level was highlighted.

On the same day, a dialogue was held between mayors, with the participation of the head of cooperation of the Delegation of the European Union Matteo Sirtori, the Coordinator of AECID in Paraguay Rafael Ruiperez and the National Director of the National Statistics Institute (INE), Ivan Ojeda. The conversation focused on improving the production and management of data for sustainable development at the municipal level. This exchange identified critical areas where municipalities can increase their autonomy and efficiency in data collection.

• The project, funded by the European Union and coordinated by FIIAPP and the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, has strengthened the training of Spanish consular staff in Morocco, Senegal, Cape Verde, Tunisia, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria and Ethiopia.

Promoting safe, orderly and regular migration. To this end, the Migrasafe project has worked closely with the staff of Spanish consulates in various African countries to train their staff on current legislation on migration. The aim is to enable them to provide accurate and up-to-date information to migrants. Training has also been provided to immigration liaison officers from the European Union.

Led by Spain, Migrasafe has the participation of Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland and the support of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs (DGHOME), which co-finances the project.

The different sessions and activities organized by Migrasafe have focused on the different European directives that promote safe, orderly and regular migration. Access to information on legal migration has also been promoted among civil society organizations, which act as informal sources of information to potential migrants.

Throughout the implementation of the project, which started in 2022, the following have been carried out:

• 29 sessions for consular staff, registering 143 participants from 26 Embassies.
• 15 sessions for immigration liaison officers (ILOs), registering 68 participants from 19 Embassies.
• 18 sessions for African national authorities, with 96 attendees from 42 ministerial bodies.

Public policies are the instruments through which public institutions respond to demands and address public challenges in multiple domains. They provide the framework for all actions by which a state seeks to respond to collective needs and reflect – or should reflect – the values of a society.

They are fundamental not only for setting goals and objectives for the collective well-being of a set of citizens, but also for allocating the human, financial and technological resources to implement them and thus enforce the rights set out in constitutions or bills of rights.

We get to know our development workers

However, we rarely put a face to the people who work to enact these public policies. We are not talking about the political class, but about our development workers, an essential link in the chain. These are the public servants who cooperate with other countries to exchange knowledge, improve the institutional framework and the functioning of public systems. A form of cooperation that always includes a return of knowledge, a two-way exchange that also feeds our capacities to promote public systems for people and the planet.

Through the #PublicExpertise for the World video series, we get to know our public development workers who cooperate in a wide range of fields: security, justice, employment, social cohesion or climate. Every year we mobilise more than 600 professionals in over 120 countries. A vocation for public service, flexibility and adaptability, active listening and fluency in other languages. These are the main requirements that civil servants have to meet to participate in international cooperation missions. Now we discover what inspired them to cooperate, what are the greatest achievements of the projects in which they have participated, what tools they have developed in the face of difficulties, what world they dream of? An inspiring format that brings us a close-up portrait that highlights the importance of this type of cooperation.

Access here to all the videos of Public Expertise for the world and get to know the story of Rosa María Marín (prosecutor), Adriana Tostón (commander of the Guardia Civil), Pedro Parra (employment official) or Elsa Marta (National Police).

Find out here how institutional cooperation works and what challenges we are tackling this year.

In the last days of December we tend to look back on all that we have achieved during the year. It is a time for reflection, but it is also a time for new resolutions and dreams. At FIIAPP we are well aware of this and our drive to continue building and improving public systems for people and the planet does not cease. Moreover, this year has been very special because we have completed 25 years of cooperation, sharing knowledge and experiences in more than 120 countries.

There are many achievements and they do not fit in a post of X or in a video. Not even in this blog. However, these 34 achievements are a sample of the tireless and enthusiastic work of our public sector professionals in cooperation.

With the firm conviction that public policies can and must improve people’s lives, they are committed to working with FIIAPP on a wide range of issues: justice, peace, development, environment, security, social policies, rights, digitalisation…

Our public administrations are full of talent and commitment.

These achievements are yours, they are ours.

Digitalisation

Ukraine: new IT curriculum for early childhood, primary and secondary education to prepare 4 million students for a post-conflict digital future.

Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti: civil service training for the digital transformation of the administration.

Latin America and the Caribbean: Latin America and the European Union strengthen their Digital Alliance to ensure data protection and digital rights in both regions.

Paraguay: strengthening statistical capacity by integrating information on health, civil registry and migration, among others.

Green agenda

Latin America and the Caribbean: accompanying decarbonisation strategies and strengthening the capacities of climate services.

Cuba: updating energy policy by orienting it towards green energy (thermal districts, climate finance and agro-ecological value chains).

Guatemala and Dominican Republic: support for circular economy strategies and strengthening forest fire management.

Amazonia: launch of the Amazonian Network for Integrated Fire Management (RAMIF).

Lebanon: creation of the “Green Police” app for reporting environmental crimes.

Justice

Dominican Republic: positioned as a benchmark in the digitisation of justice in the Caribbean.

MERCOSUR: creation of an international protection order for victims of gender-based violence.

Peru and Bolivia: strengthening the capacities of police and justice institutions to curb organised crime by creating joint security and justice investigation teams.

Trade

Uruguay: support for sustainable certifications to guarantee exports in line with the EU regulation on deforestation.

Continental Africa: creation of a free trade area with a focus on young people, making the tools and opportunities offered by this treaty available to them.

Youth

Tunisia: development of municipal programmes on youth and sport.

Morocco: implementation of the youth card and support for a future youth law in the country.

Fight against terrorism and organised crime

Sahel: creation of 13 rapid action groups to ensure security in areas at high risk of organised crime. This presence has enabled the reopening of markets, schools and health centres.

Senegal, Ghana and Kenya: 300 security officers trained to protect public spaces from potential terrorist attacks.

Lebanon: publication of the first report on the state of human rights in the country, with the support of our project Community Policing.

Migrations

8 African countries: Training in European legislation on regular migration for public officials responsible for migration management, civil society organisations and European embassies. In addition, we have developed e-learning platforms for European and African civil servants responsible for migration management and for civil society organisations.

Border management

Latin America and the Caribbean: creation of the Athens Network in 6 countries in the region to exchange information and control document fraud.

Colombia and Ecuador: implementation of the “One Stop Control” system to speed up the passage of people.

MERCOSUR and the Andean Community: implementation of border regulations and information exchange mechanisms to stop organised crime. Creation of a border management diploma course for officials from six pilot borders.

Fight against trafficking

Nigeria: creation of a national database for the investigation of trafficking networks and the protection of victims.

Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica: equipping Interpol offices with state-of-the-art technology to provide a network for information and investigation of human trafficking and smuggling crimes.

Local government

Angola: implementation of participatory governance mechanisms, open governments and citizen laboratories.

Mexico: development of a fiscal model for social cohesion, strengthening revenue collection and the quality and transparency of spending.

Drugs

Latin America and the Caribbean: reinforcement of drug observatories and institutional coordination against the laundering of assets derived from drug trafficking.

Chile: new approaches to drug policies such as socio-labour for young people with drug problems or mental health monitoring in juvenile homes.

Central Asia: implementation of treatment and care aimed at the specific needs of women with drug use problems, both in the community and in prisons.

Public Expertise

Spanish cooperation: public technical cooperation is included in Spain in the new Law on Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Global Solidarity. This year we have mobilised more than 620 public professionals from more than 180 European institutions.

25th anniversary: we celebrate our 25th anniversary consolidating the commitment to cooperation of Spanish Public Talent. We also commemorated the 25th anniversary of the twinning programme, led in Spain by the FIIAPP.

European cooperation: we have managed to get the European Public Service Ministries to share a roadmap with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. Objective: to position public sector international cooperation as a driver of development.

Carbon footprint reduction, crop production or job promotion are some of the benefits of agrivoltaic energy, a sustainable alternative for solar farm land. It is an increasingly common trend that offers a second life to abandoned soils dedicated exclusively to the exploitation of solar energy. However, these spaces have good growing conditions, as the solar panels protect them from the sun and adverse weather conditions.

Cuba and agrivoltaic energy: social, economic and environmental benefits

From a social point of view, the implementation of this new technology boosts job creation in the agricultural and energy sector, which helps reduce unemployment and improves people’s quality of life. In addition, through increased food production, it improves access to fresh and healthy food for the population, promotes environmental education and awareness of the importance of sustainability and the conservation of natural resources. Agri-violence promotes community participation in food and energy production, which contributes to strengthening social ties and fostering collaboration between communities.

Economically, it supports increased food and energy production, thereby reducing dependence on imports and improving food and energy security. Furthermore, agri-voltaics generates additional income for farmers by enabling them to produce both food and energy on the same piece of land, helping to improve the local and national economy as well as reducing production costs. Internationally, it is a very attractive technology for attracting foreign investment in this sector and promoting the development of sustainable and efficient technologies.

From an environmental point of view, by using the same land for food and energy production, it reduces the need to deforest new areas for the installation of solar panels, contributing to soil conservation by reducing erosion and water evaporation on the land. In effect, it promotes biodiversity by creating an environment conducive to the growth of different crops and plants, as well as beneficial insects and pollinators. On the other hand, the generation of clean energy through solar panels reduces greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to mitigating climate change.

FIIAPP committed to renewable energy in Cuba: exchanging experiences among professionals

In the framework of the EU-Cuba expert-exchange project to promote renewable energy sources and energy efficiency in Cuba, led by FIIAPP and financed by the European Union, the University of Sancti Spíritus “José Martí Pérez” (UNISS) and the sister project Renewable Energy Sources for Local Development (FRE-local) have been supported to increase their knowledge and capacities related to this technology, with the ultimate goal of creating agricultural power plants in Cuba and strengthening local development in the country through renewable energies, thus increasing the country’s competitiveness in the global market.

The exchange of experiences between specialists from peer institutions is the basis of the work developed in the FIIAPP, which aims to improve public systems for people and the planet.

The implementation of agrivoltaics in Cuba could be of great importance for the country, as it would allow for a more efficient use of available resources to produce food and energy. It would also help reduce Cuba’s dependence on fossil fuels to generate electricity, which would contribute to improving the country’s energy security and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This would be especially important in a country like Cuba, which faces significant economic and environmental challenges.

Therefore, in the framework of the Project in Cuba, UNISS professors have visited Italy and France, where they got to know different agroforestry plants, in collaboration with the Italian Association for Sustainable Agriculture (AIAS) and Learning Action for Nature and Development (LAND).

At the end of November, two experts from the Italian agency Agenzia nazionale per le nuove tecnologie, l’energia e lo sviluppo economico sostenibile (ENEA) and the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT) will travel to Cuba to carry out a workshop on the design and operation of agroforestry systems to support local sustainable development in rural areas.

Dr. Julio Pedraza Garciga, Professor at the Centro de Estudios de Energía y Procesos Industriales of the University of Sancti Spíritus “José Martí Pérez” (UNISS) in Cuba.

Dr. C. Kolima Peña Calzada, Professor at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Sancti Spíritus “José Martí Pérez” (UNISS) in Cuba.

Carolina González Quinteros, Technician of the EU-Cuba expert-exchange project to promote renewable energy sources and energy efficiency in Cuba, FIIAPP.

In 1998, the European Union launched the twinning programme to support candidate countries onm their path to EU membership in the institutional reforms needed to bring them closer to European policies and standards. Such has been its success that, after 25 years, more than 2,800 twinning projects have been completed, and the programme has extended its geographical reach globally, including Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

The programme facilitates the twinning of two counterpart administrations by temporarily assigning one or more civil servants from a European country to work alongside their counterparts in the partner country’s public administration to strengthen their institutions and public policies in fields such as environment, health, justice, transport, digitalisation, forensic research, education, youth, fisheries policy, customs… In other words, it is about connecting public systems to work on specific challenges in the field of public policies.

In 1999, Spain signed an agreement with the European Commission to join the programme. Thos was the same year when FIIAPP was established as the sole managing entity for such programmes in Spain, in support of the National Contact Point in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Among others, we have improved the blood donation and transplant system in Croatia, strengthened the Ombudsman in Macedonia, improved the Patent Office in Egypt, supported the improvement of rail transport in Ukraine or accompanied the reform of the judicial system in the Dominican Republic.

Find out all the details about the twinning programme here

Beyond the specific achievements of each project, this programme allows the EU to project its most distinctive added values in its external action, i.e. its regulatory standards, its public policy models and its founding values, such as the rule of law, social cohesion and democratic governance. Moreover, thanks to this programme, Spanish institutions such as the Ombudsman, the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office or the General Council of the Judiciary have built trust-based relationships with their counterparts in third countries and strengthened their own human capital with new knowledge and perspectives.

The “Institution Building Days”, organised by the European Commission, took place in Brussels on 17 and 18 October 2023, bringing together the National Contact Points for the Twinning programme. In this framework, Ricardo Sánchez-Blanco, National Contact Point at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, stressed the importance of Twinning to facilitate the implementation of  new European strategies such as Global Gateway. He also emphasized Spain’s firm commitment to mobilising the expertise of its public administrations, as reflected in the new cooperation law and in FIIAPP. He also highlighted Spain’s sound track record in Twinning programmes, having successfully implemented more than 350 projects in 34 countries and mobilised more than 5,000 civil servants.

Álvaro Martínez, FIIAPP’s Strategy Area Technician