Spain’s gradual economic recovery should enable it to start reversing the sharp decline in its development assistance since 2010 and focus more of its aid budget on the least developed countries, according to an OECD Review.

The latest Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Peer Review of Spain says Spain’s official development assistance (ODA) dropped by 68% between 2010 and 2014, after an almost threefold rise from 2000 to 2009. Spain has promised increases in its 2015 and 2016 aid budgets to begin reversing the trend.

The DAC commended Spain for its strong focus on reducing poverty and inequality and its emphasis on fairness and solidarity. It said Spain had forged close working relationships with partner country governments, especially in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. It sees room for improvement, however, in the way Spain co-ordinates and monitors its development assistance and in staff management.

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