Aiming for Spain's Leadership in Global Health

ISGlobal played a pivotal role in the creation of Spain’s first Global Health Strategy, approved in May 2025. By bridging the gap between traditional development aid and health regulation, the institution worked closely with the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs to promote a modern "One Health" approach. Through high-level mediation, technical workshops, and policy advice, ISGlobal helped transform Spain’s fragmented approach into a coordinated, multi-sectoral framework. This structural shift, together with its election to the WHO Executive Board, has significantly boosted Spain's international leadership in global health and has facilitated increased funding for multilateral initiatives.

What is the problem? 

For decades, Spain’s approach to global health was rooted in a traditional "development cooperation" model dependent on the AECID (the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation), while the Ministry of Health was responsible for complying with the WHO's international health regulations. This framework / split responsibility was ill-equipped to address the interconnected nature of 21st-century threats—ranging from antimicrobial resistance to pandemic preparedness and the climate crisis. This fragmentation limited coordination across ministries and weakened Spain’s ability to respond strategically to global health challenges.

The COVID-19 pandemic acted as a catalyst, revealing that health is not a localised issue but a global one requiring multisectoral action. However, Spain lacked a formal, unified strategy that integrated health, foreign policy, and environmental goals. The problem was twofold: a conceptual gap in how the government viewed health beyond its borders, and a policy gap in coordinating the various ministries responsible for it.

What did our teams do?

To bridge these gaps, ISGlobal leveraged its dual role as a recognised scientific institution and trusted policy advisor for both the Ministry of Health and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), to support dialogue and alignment between key actors. Our intervention, characterised by behind-the-scenes work and technical guidance, started in 2020 against a pandemic background:

• Convening and mediation: We facilitated high-level "closed-door" dialogues between key stakeholders across ministries. By acting as an intermediary, ISGlobal ensured that scientific evidence and a global health perspective were at the heart of policy discussions.
• Capacity Building & Accompaniment: We organised and hosted multi-actor workshops involving AECID and the Ministry of Health. These sessions served as the technical engine for the strategy, aligning the vision of the two primary bodies responsible for Spain’s global health footprint.
• Strategic framing: Through the Día Después platform and targeted policy briefs, ISGlobal helped to provide the conceptual framework needed to transition from a 2007-era model of development cooperation to a modern Global Health agenda. We advocated for a "One Health" perspective to be adopted across ministries, not just Health or Foreign Affairs.

What changes have our actions contributed to?

This sustained advocacy effort contributed to a profound shift in Spain's political and institutional approach to global health

• The first Global Health Strategy: In May 2025, Spain’s government officially approved a Global Health Strategy that strongly reflects key priorities long advocated by ISGlobal. The document establishes an action framework under the One Health approach, with six strategic axes that prioritise health equity, environmental sustainability, and pandemic preparedness. It cites ISGlobal as an example of a public-private partnership that promotes multidisciplinary, multisectoral collaborations.
• A conceptual and institutional shift: Spain’s vision evolved from a traditional “development aid” approach to a more integrated “global health” agenda, bringing together for the first time both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This helped create a more coherent and coordinated position across development cooperation and international health fora. ISGlobal advocated for this vision in a document prepared for the current legislature, and it is now reflected in Spain’s current Global Health Strategy. 
• Global Influence: This internal strengthening, together with the country's election to the WHO Executive Board, has helped reinforce Spain’s profile in the global health arena. At a time when many countries are decreasing their official development assistance, the Spanish government increased its contributions to multilateral funds by 12% in 2024, signaling a stronger commitment to global health and an ambition to play a leading role.

Policy change is only a first step. But these structural changes are helping to build Spain’s capacity to improve health outcomes on a global scale in the years ahead.

Links and References

• POLICY DOCUMENT | Global Health on the Political Agenda for the New Legislature (ISGlobal, 2023).
• STRATEGY | Response Strategy for the Spanish Cooperation to the COVID-19 Crisis (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, citing ISGlobal via Día Después).
• POLICY DOCUMENT | Spain: An Emerging Leadership in Global Health (ISGlobal, 2023)