The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, chairs the meeting of the FIIAPP Board of Trustees

On behalf of the first vice-president of the government, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation, Arancha González Laya, chaired the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP). At the meeting, the work of FIIAPP was evaluated and the Board of Trustees was strengthened as the governing body of the Foundation.

In its more than twenty years of activity, the Foundation, in line with foreign policy priorities, has devoted itself to launching and developing public policies and institutional capacities in the public administrations of partner countries. To do so, it works hand-in-hand with Spanish administrative bodies, whose most prominent specialists participate in international cooperation projects managed by the Foundation. This work focuses on sectors that require public action, such as: justice, security, social affairs, the environment, economy and finance, among others.

The Board of Trustees, which has several ministers, secretaries and secretaries of state, along with other public representatives, among its members, has agreed to consolidate a fair ecological transition, migration and gender equality as priority work areas for FIIAPP, as well as the search, from a public perspective, for shared responses to global challenges; all of which falls under an action guided by the Sustainable Development Goals contained in the 2030 Agenda.

In this context, Minister González Laya emphasised how “FIIAPP is an engine for the improvement of public policies and administrations in the countries in which it operates. It contributes to the construction of shared values in Spanish and European foreign action, applying “comprehensive government” approaches while seeking shared responses to global challenges. FIIAPP focuses public sector knowledge on development results guided by the Sustainable Development Goals contained in the 2030 Agenda.”

The Secretary of State for International Cooperation and chairperson of the standing committee of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Angeles Moreno Bau, pointed out that “FIIAPP is a fundamental actor in the public system of Spanish cooperation that specialises in building alliances between administrations.”

Furthermore, the Board of Trustees addressed the role of FIIAPP as a tool for Spanish government action abroad, given the health, economic and social consequences caused by the coronavirus. The importance that Spanish public administrations are having in this crisis is also being transferred internationally, as testified by the fact that FIIAPP has already launched, in collaboration with them, over 80 initiatives to alleviate the consequences of the virus in the different partner countries. From a specifically Spanish and European perspective, and with the help of #TeamEurope promoted by the European Union, FIIAPP aspires to be of use by way of mobilising public expertise the more necessary it becomes.

As far as the role of FIIAPP in this crisis is concerned, the director of the Foundation, Anna Terrón, emphasised the focus on staff well-being and on adapting and reorienting the Foundation’s activities, with #TeamEurope bringing concrete support measures to partner countries.

Over the last year, FIIAPP has strengthened its presence in Latin America by managing the main technical cooperation programmes between the European Union and Latin America; not to mention its work on the African continent, reinforcing the peace, security and development nexus in regions such as West Africa and the Sahel.