On 22 October 2026, an all-day specialist meeting on decentralised development cooperation will take place at Palacio Miramar in Donostia/San Sebastián The event is being organised by eLankidetza – the Basque Agency for Cooperation and Solidarity – together with the Coordinadora de ONGD de Euskadi. The official announcement from the Gobierno Vasco is dated 15 October 2026; registration is open.
The programme brings together representatives from public administrations, non-governmental organisations and academia to discuss the state and prospects of decentralised cooperation in the current international context. Panels are scheduled on the role and added value of regional and local authorities; political, social and economic pressures on the sector; the state of civic space; humanitarian aid; and its integration into multilateral agendas. Participants named include Javier Cortés, director of eLankidetza, and Nerea Uriarte, president of the Coordinadora de ONGD de Euskadi.
Experts are expected from various institutions, including the Generalitat Valenciana, the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, from Oxfam Intermón as well as research institutions such as the Pedro Arrupe Human Rights Institute at Deusto University and the Instituto Hegoa at the University of the Basque Country. The organisers stress the value of sharing practical experience to refine cooperation models, coordinate local steps towards development goals and strengthen safeguards for vulnerable civil society actors.
The Encuentro Estatal de Coordinadoras de ONGD is due to begin after the meeting, with a joint statement on international cooperation planned. No concrete decisions are available in advance; reliable results can be expected only after the discussions have concluded.
With this event, the Basque side builds on existing international cooperation strategies and seeks to link regional programmes with European and multilateral initiatives. The focus in Donostia/San Sebastián underscores its ambition to expand partnership-based, decentralised cooperation as a complement to state development instruments – also against a backdrop of tight budgets, complex crises and growing demands for accountability and effectiveness.
The information is based on the official announcement from the Gobierno Vasco and information from the event organisers, eLankidetza. The organisers will provide updates on the programme and participation.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).