An overview of the different types of programmes

Global Data

As of December 2024, the Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation has awarded grants totalling €815.91 million, successfully mobilising an additional €827.65 million in local counterpart funding.

This combined investment of €1.643 billion has been predominantly directed towards rural and peri-urban areas in countries facing heightened fragility or vulnerability. The Fund also continues to support global efforts aimed at strengthening public policy frameworks, enhancing institutional capacity, and promoting long-term sustainability of the programmes and of the sector.

As of year-end 2024, Haiti remains the single largest recipient of funding, having received close to €120 million. Bolivia follows with €99.2 million, while Guatemala, which received €73.2 million this year, now ranks third. Paraguay stands at €71.33 million, followed by El Salvador at €69.74 million, with Peru and Colombia each having received €58 million.

In addition, the Fund has facilitated the mobilisation of over €156 million in delegated cooperation funds from the European Union. These funds have supported combined operations, integrating both grants and loans, totalling more than €1 billion. In delivering these programmes, the Fund plays a key coordinating role, aligning various financial instruments, integrating technical cooperation from Spanish public institutions, and leveraging resources to prioritise the Water Agenda, significantly amplifying its overall impact.

Programme types

With the approval of two new programmes in December 2024, alongside an extension of funding for a third, the Fund’s portfolio reached a total of 89 standalone programmes, reflecting its cumulative journey. In recent years, these core programmes have been complemented by additional initiatives linked to delegated cooperation with the European Union, reimbursable funding mechanisms, and bilateral donations provided by AECID. Collectively, these efforts have positioned the Water Fund as a recognised sectoral reference point in the region, maintaining ongoing communication and strategic dialogue with partner countries.

All actions undertaken are grounded in the priorities expressed by partner countries, aligned with their own development plans, and framed within the strategic agreements or partnership frameworks established with AECID. These actions fall into several categories:

FCAS Programmes
These initiatives are directly financed by the Water Fund using funds provided by the State Secretariat for International Cooperation. In most cases, they are co-financed by partner countries, with the level of counterpart funding determined by national capacity. In certain instances, such as for heavily indebted countries, no counterpart funding is required. The programmes are structured as follows:
- Bilateral Programmes In this category, funding is provided directly by the FCAS to the recipient country. As of December 2024, a total of 70 programmes fall within this category, accounting for 51.49% of the overall FCAS portfolio and representing 78% of all initiatives launched. Of these, 47 operations have been completed, 18 remain under implementation, and five are currently in the design phase. Since 2008, these bilateral initiatives have received cumulative funding of €420.182 million.
- Bi-Multilateral Programmes These programmes are financed by the FCAS and implemented by the recipient countries in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Internally, they are referred to as multilateral programmes (designated with an “M” throughout this Report). As of December 2024, a total of 19 such programmes have been delivered, all of which have now been completed, representing 48.50% of the Fund’s total grant portfolio. Ongoing collaboration with the IDB is maintained through the execution of various technical cooperation initiatives. These are targeted, specialised interventions, which, unlike the main programmes, are implemented directly by the IDB. Their purpose is to address specific technical challenges within the programmes and contribute to their long-term sustainability. As part of these efforts, targeted diagnostics have been undertaken across four thematic areas: rural water access, indigenous peoples, gender, and integrated water resources management (IWRM). In addition, ex-post evaluations have been carried out for programmes in Honduras, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay, accompanied by significant communication and knowledge management activities in coordination with Spanish Cooperation.
Up to 31 December 2024, the FCAS Executive Committee has approved a total of 17 technical cooperation initiatives. Of these, three were completed in 2023, while 11 were under implementation during 2024, with five of those completed this year. A further three are scheduled to commence shortly. Altogether, these initiatives have required a disbursement of €8.6 million, drawn from the funds initially allocated by the FCAS for collaboration with the IDB. In parallel, a Professional Exchange Programme remains in place, facilitating staff placements to strengthen coordination and oversight of programme implementation.
Other Programmes Associated with the Fund
The financing of these programmes does not come directly from the FCAS; however, they involve some degree of collaboration — either through delegated cooperation with the European Union or via AECID-led initiatives that the FCAS supports due to their focus on water and sanitation.
- Funded by delegated cooperation initiatives: These initiatives are financed by European Union grants and implemented by Member States. Within these programmes, the FCAS frequently contributes supplementary funding to address specific priorities, such as expanding interventions to reach remote populations or reinforcing the human rights-based approach.
- Funded by AECID’s regular budget: These are water and sanitation initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean that are managed by the FCAS Office.
- Funded by FEDES: The Spanish Fund for Sustainable Development is one of the principal financial instruments of Spanish Cooperation. A portion of its funding is allocated to the promotion of water and sanitation initiatives, in which the FCAS occasionally participates through donations, specifically to extend coverage to the most vulnerable populations.