Distr.

GENERAL

CRC/C/SR.171
13 October 1994


Original: ENGLISH
Summary record of the 171st meeting : Spain. 13/10/94.
CRC/C/SR.171. (Summary Record)

Convention Abbreviation: CRC
COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

Seventh session

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 171st MEETING*

Held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva,
on Thursday, 6 October 1994, at 10 a.m.

Chairperson: Mr. HAMMARBERG


CONTENTS

Consideration of reports of States parties (continued)

Spain







* No summary record was issued for the 170th meeting.



This record is subject to correction.

Corrections should be submitted in one of the working languages. They should be set forth in a memorandum and also incorporated in a copy of the record. They should be sent within one week of the date of this document to the Official Records Editing Section, room E.4108, Palais des Nations, Geneva.

Any corrections to the records of the meetings of the Committee at this session will be consolidated in a single corrigendum, to be issued shortly after the end of the session.

GE.94-19253 (E)
The meeting was called to order at 10.25 a.m.

CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS OF STATES PARTIES (agenda item 4) (continued)

Spain (CRC/C/8/Add.6; CRC/C/7/WP.1)

1. At the invitation of the Chairperson, Mrs. Leal, Mr. Lopez and Mr. Gonzalez de Linares (Spain) took seats at the Committee table.

2. The CHAIRPERSON welcomed the Spanish delegation and invited it to introduce the initial report of Spain (CRC/C/8/Add.6).

3. Mr. LOPEZ (Spain) thanked the Committee for providing the opportunity to continue and extend its dialogue with Spain and to draw attention to the importance which his country attached to the Committee's task under article 43 of the Convention. Preparation of his country's initial report had been undertaken in consultation with the various sectors concerned with the quality of life of children, a context in which NGOs played an important role. The exercise had constituted an excellent opportunity to promote awareness about children and their rights and to continue consideration of policies and measures aimed at improving children's well-being and quality of life.

4. The defence of human rights in Spain must be seen within the framework of the 1978 Constitution, and articles 39 and 96 in particular. Pursuant to those provisions, the Convention was directly applicable in Spain. The Constitution devoted a whole section to rights and freedoms, many of which had been developed through special legislation.

5. Since the 1980s, legislation had been updated in order to ensure that it was consistent with the Convention and the principles which had inspired it. Details were provided in the report of relevant legislation and regulations introduced over that period. His Government's ratification of the Convention in January 1991 implied for Spain a universal commitment to respect and guarantee the rights of the child and to ensure that those rights were developed and promoted, that appropriate mechanisms for that purpose were improved, and that further steps were taken to achieve real and effective consolidation of such rights. In that context, the guiding constitutional principles of social and economic policy in Spain included the legal, economic and social protection of the family and the comprehensive protection of children. A series of reforms of the Civil Code in 1981 and 1983 had affected legislation concerning marriage, parental authority, and guardianship, and established the equality of children before the law irrespective of their filiation, the duties and joint responsibility of fathers and mothers, the best interests of the child, etc.

6. Because of the structure of Spanish institutions, the Autonomous Communities had broad powers in social policy; coordination mechanisms ensured that there was harmonization of policies and legislation, as outlined in section I.E of the initial report.

7. The protection of minors in a situation of social difficulty had also been reviewed, from the standpoint of both institutions and the activity of public authorities. The Autonomous Communities had each introduced a system of social care for children, which had made it possible to improve care substantially in terms of resources and services guaranteeing acceptable levels of protection in accordance with the provisions of the Convention. Act No. 14/1986 gave the Autonomous Communities powers in health matters, with the Interterritorial Council coordinating and harmonizing their respective health policies. In 1990, that Council had approved a series of minimum criteria for a basic mother-and-child health programme to ensure that free care for children up to the age of 14 years was available in all Autonomous Communities, as described in chapter VI of the initial report.

8. Particular attention had been paid to educational reform: considerable progress had been achieved towards universal schooling and free education at all compulsory levels, and in adapting curricula to present-day society, as outlined in chapter VII of the report. In particular, the age-limit for compulsory education had been raised to 16, and the 0 to 6 year age group had been recognized as a phase of education and not exclusively of care.

9. Concerning juvenile justice (chap. VIII of the report), a number of procedural reforms had been undertaken in 1992, specific attention being paid to guarantees for juveniles between the ages of 12 and 16 who had committed a criminal offence. Organization Act No. 4/1992 provided for the possibility of redress as a means of terminating the prosecution process for young offenders and was aimed at their social reintegration. As those reforms were very recent, information on their degree of implementation was not yet available.

10. As an example of the importance which the joint efforts to guarantee the rights of the child were acquiring in Spain, he wished to mention the fact that the infringements by the media of children's right to privacy over the past year had provoked a determined reaction on the part of NGOs, the public authorities, judges, prosecutors and ombudsmen (Defensores del Pueblo). There could be no doubt but that the Convention had served as a benchmark in restoring respect for that right.

11. The CHAIRPERSON invited the delegation of Spain, in responding to the list of issues prepared by the Committee, to indicate any areas where it felt that there could usefully be an international dialogue or which were of particular interest.

12. Mrs. LEAL (Spain) drew attention to the importance of a bill currently under consideration in her country which concerned children in particular. She suggested that detailed discussion of that bill and of questions relating to education should be postponed until the arrival of the other members of her delegation who were expected shortly.

13. The CHAIRPERSON thanked the Spanish delegation for its written replies to the list of issues, which had not, unfortunately, been received in time to be made available in the various languages. He invited the delegation to refer to those replies when responding to the list of issues, the first part of which read:
"General measures of implementation

(Arts. 4, 42 and 44, para. 6, of the Convention)

14. Mrs. LEAL (Spain), responding to question 1, said that her country's report had been prepared with the collaboration of the Autonomous Communities, local municipalities and NGOs. The reply to question 2 would be provided later, following the arrival of the head of her delegation. Concerning question 3, the status of the Convention in relation to national law was determined specifically by articles 39.4, 10.2 and 96 of the Constitution. The Convention accordingly formed part of Spain's internal legislation, and some laws had been amended to ensure that they were consistent with the provisions of the Convention. In reply to question 4, she said that the draft Bill of Children's Rights had been transmitted to relevant ministries and NGOs for their consideration and comments prior to its submission to Parliament. Further details would be provided by the head of delegation.

15. Concerning question 5, coordination between the Central Government and the Autonomous Communities took place at three levels: (1) the sectoral conference, at which the Minister for Social Affairs and the councillors of the Autonomous Communities participated; (2) meetings of directors-general, at which details of policies and programmes concerning children were discussed; and (3) technical commissions in which specialists from the central Administration and the Autonomous Commissions participated. In addition, local authorities of communes with more than 20,000 inhabitants were required to provide and promote social services. The National Federation of Municipalities and Provinces acted in coordination with the State authorities in carrying out programmes. Agreements had also been concluded between the State and the Autonomous Communities to promote various policies, including those relating to early childhood and the prevention of ill-treatment of children.

16. Responding to question 6, she said that the State guaranteed minimum services throughout the country by means of its Concerted Plan for the Development of Basic Social Services of Local Corporations. The first level of child and family care was a local responsibility, specialized services (adoption, guardianship, etc.) coming under the responsibility of the Autonomous Communities.

17. Concerning question 7, official development assistance (ODA) in 1993 had amounted to some 154,000 million pesetas, of which 0.26 per cent (some 390 million pesetas) had been allocated for programmes for children in the least developed countries. In addition, allocations of over 1,250 million pesetas and 139 million pesetas had been made for education and health programmes respectively.

18. Mr. KOLOSOV said he understood that several cases involving the rights of children had been taken to the European Commission of Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights. He would be very interested to hear why that had been done, what cases were involved and what the outcome had been in both bodies.

19. Mrs. SANTOS PAIS noted that Spain had taken a large number of measures to ensure implementation of the Convention. The first part of the report gave a wide range of examples, not only of legislation designed to ensure full conformity with the Convention, but also of the establishment of mechanisms and the consideration of various ways of fostering awareness of the rights of the child. The self-critical nature of the report, which threw light on areas where something remained to be done, was also a positive sign. It was encouraging that the Government itself recognized the existence of problems and difficulties, since once problems were identified it was easier to find solutions.

20. Among the positive aspects, she wished to stress, first, the declaration regarding the provisions of article 38 that Spain had made on ratifying the Convention, openly expressing disagreement with the low age-limit set for the recruitment of children into the armed forces. She assumed that it would adopt the same attitude in the debate on the Optional Protocol in the drafting group which was to start work at the end of October. All States parties would be invited to participate and it was hoped that speedy agreement could be reached on raising the age to 18. She asked whether Spain intended to be present to defend its declaration.

21. Another positive aspect was that the Constitutional Court in Spain had made use of the Convention in recognizing that Spanish legislation regarding the rights of the child, especially that concerning juvenile justice, was not perfect and that the values set forth in the Convention should encourage its review. She believed that when judicial bodies used international agreements to encourage law reform, it signified that the key players in the area concerned took their role seriously.

22. She asked what kind of training courses or awareness programmes were provided for such professional groups as judges, teachers and, more particularly, the law enforcement officials and social workers who played such an important role in relation to children. Were the courses inspired by the provisions of the Convention and what specific action had been taken or was envisaged? She also asked whether there was an effort to increase awareness among the municipal authorities which were responsible at the local level for many of the services affecting children.

23. The effort to ensure coordination between the Autonomous Communities and the municipal authorities was another positive point. She wondered, however, whether there was a comprehensive policy to smooth out any disparities in resources between the various Communities. She stressed the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to the problems of children. It was felt in many countries, including her own, that policy regarding the rights of the child was too fragmented. The various government departments concerned viewed the problems of children from their own spheres of competence and thus from different perspectives. She asked what attempt was being made in Spain to ensure that policy was genuinely comprehensive.

24. Lastly, she asked whether the current high unemployment rate in Spain had led to any consideration of the way in which unemployment affected the enjoyment by children of their fundamental rights and whether any conclusions had been reached in that respect.

25. Mr. MOMBESHORA said that he would like to know more about the relationship between the Autonomous Communities and local governments and municipalities. The Committee had been told that the central Government ensured uniform provision of services, which implied that the revenue generated by the local authorities was uneven. He asked whether, in practice, the central Government exercised a supervisory role to ensure that the services in question were provided, or whether each authority worked out its own budget and, when there was a shortfall, approached the central Government. If that was the case, was the request always met?

26. Mgr. BAMBAREN GASTELUMENDI said that he too would like a more detailed explanation of the relationship between the central Government and the Autonomous Communities, in particular the Interterritorial Council mentioned by Mr. Lopez. In the light of the economic situation in Spain, and particularly the high rate of unemployment, the recent effort to mobilize the population in support of the target of 0.7 per cent of GNP for official development assistance was a very positive approach that was greatly appreciated by the beneficiaries. It would seem from the figures in the reply to question 7 about programmes for children in the least developed countries that the proportion of assistance devoted to such programmes could well be increased. In the light of article 4 of the Convention, donor countries were entitled to press aid recipients to give priority to children's programmes. The reply to question 6 had been that municipalities of more than 20,000 inhabitants were required to provide social services; he wondered what happened in the case of smaller communities. He inquired whether the reported change of attitude towards children in Spain, in the spirit of the Convention, went beyond the enactment of legislation and raised awareness among families of the need to respect the rights of the child.

27. Mrs. EUFEMIO said she understood from Mr. Lopez's introduction that there was a comprehensive plan for the development of basic social services in the Autonomous Communities. She asked what steps were being taken to evaluate the implementation of the plan and what indicators, for example for determining the degree of awareness of the Convention, had been selected. She further asked how statistics would be collected, given that the services would be operated by local governments, and how the data would reach the central Government for use in revising policies or determining what other measures should be taken to implement the provisions of the Convention. The many tables annexed to the initial report indicated that a system of statistics was in place, but she would like to know if anything was felt to be lacking.

28. The CHAIRPERSON said that the Convention on the Rights of the Child differed somewhat from other human rights instruments: in addition to defining minimum requirements, it stated certain principles and defined certain approaches which made it impossible for any country to claim that implementation was complete. It was worded in a way that always encouraged further steps and raised new questions about the rights of the child.

29. Mrs. Santos Pais had already spoken of the importance of training professional groups, such as doctors and teachers, who had an important role in relation to children. He asked whether specific measures were taken in the places where those groups were educated to familiarize them with the Convention. Further education would be needed for those who had graduated before the Convention had become an issue and refresher courses would also be needed to promote discussion of the rights set out in the Convention. He noted that very few colleges for police officers, who were of key importance in regard to children's rights, provided good training in the rights of the child.

30. The answer to question 5 about the decentralized system in Spain described various bodies and committees set up to ensure coordination. He asked how that coordination would function in practice. In regard to the question about the steps to implement article 4 of the Convention, he asked how the Spanish budgetary process was designed and whether the central Parliament or the Autonomous Community bodies were chiefly responsible for enabling the requirements of article 4 to be met. The idea behind the article was that each country should find a way of raising, in the discussion of the budget, the question of allocating the greatest possible amount of available resources to child-related purposes. It was a most interesting and radical provision of the Convention that needed to be acted upon.

31. He asked whether there had been any discussion in Spain of the level of ODA. He noted that Spain's contribution was somewhat lower than the average for the European Union. It would appear from the information provided that Spanish development assistance did not focus particularly on the least developed countries. The priority given to the social sector in the overall official assistance programme also seemed rather low compared with that of other European countries. He asked whether any change was envisaged, in the light of repeated decisions by United Nations bodies, such as UNDP and UNICEF, to emphasize the importance in development assistance of the social sector and human development.
The meeting was suspended at 11.30 a.m. and resumed at 11.55 a.m.

32. The CHAIRPERSON invited the Spanish delegation to reply to the questions raised by members of the Committee.

33. Mrs. LEAL (Spain) said that she had no details of cases involving minors that had come before the European Commission of Human Rights. Her delegation would investigate the matter further. The decision of the Spanish Constitutional Court referred to by Mrs. Santos Pais was indeed of interest, in particular because it cited articles of the Convention and the Beijing Rules as well as other documents on the rights of the child.

34. Mr. LOPEZ (Spain) said that in 1989 the Ministry of Social Affairs had launched a wide-ranging programme which provided training to professionals in topics related to the child. That programme, administered through the Centre for Juvenile Studies and in coordination with the Autonomous Communities provided training for educators. Its curriculum included courses in social questions, health care and the Convention itself, taught by professionals from many sectors.

35. Mrs. LEAL (Spain) said that the Centre for Judicial Studies also organized specialized courses for juvenile court judges, who in Spain were ordinary judges with special competence in the area of young offenders, but not in the area of protection. Those courses consisted of three months of theoretical training followed by three months of fieldwork in community protection services. In three Spanish cities, a number of specialized police squads, known as grumes, whose members had taken courses relating to childhood, had become operational.

36. Mr. LOPEZ (Spain) said that the lack of uniform and equitable child policies throughout Spain could be attributed to the fact that the system of Autonomous Communities was still very recent, and many were still formulating their child policies. The meetings of the technical commissions, in which experts from all the Autonomous Communities participated, were working to coordinate child policy in Spain on a multidisciplinary and homogeneous basis.

37. The technical commissions had set up two information systems which generated statistics on the situation of children in a situation of social difficulty; all the Autonomous Communities participated in those systems on a voluntary basis. Furthermore, an Inter-Ministerial Commission, in which the Autonomous Communities participated, had recently been established to develop and coordinate family-related policies. The Autonomous Communities had also concluded an agreement under which the media undertook to ensure the implementation of the Convention, and in particular article 16, which addressed the child's right to privacy.

38. The disturbingly high unemployment rate in Spain naturally had a considerable impact on children. Under the Concerted Plan for the Development of Basic Social Services of Local Corporations, the central Government and the Autonomous Communities cooperated in the provision of basic services to towns with more than 20,000 inhabitants. Throughout Spain, a basic minimum wage was guaranteed to all families with children whose income was lower than an established minimum level. The measures described should at least in part reflect the efforts undertaken in Spain to achieve the equitable distribution of services throughout the Autonomous Communities.

39. The Interterritorial Council of the National Health System endeavoured to define, on a consensual basis, basic guidelines for the development of health policy in Spain. It had established basic minimum requirements for the provision of mother-and-child care, and paediatric care for all children up to the age of 14. It should be reiterated that health care was guaranteed to all Spaniards, at no cost.

40. Mrs. LEAL (Spain) said that the relationship between the central Government and the Autonomous Communities was complex. First, areas of competence were shared among the various administrations. The State retained competence in such areas as civil, penal and procedural law. Other areas of competence, such as health and education, were in the hands of the Autonomous Community. How then were the powers divided? The State enacted laws, such as the Fundamental Act on the Right to Education. In those Autonomous Communities where the State retained competence, those laws were directly enforced. In those which had acquired competence in the areas in question, the national legislation served as a legal parameter. The State thereby always upheld the principle of equality among its citizens.

41. In Spain, ombudsmen had the task of defending the rights enshrined in the first chapter of the Constitution and monitoring activities where the status of those rights was in question. In 1993, the ombudsmen had participated in a conference on the problems of children. Generally speaking, the institution of the ombudsman functioned as the common denominator of all Spanish institutions concerned with the question of rights.

42. An Inter-Ministerial Commission had the task of formulating a set of regulations which would govern intercountry adoption. In Spain, very few cases of intercountry adoption by Spanish families had in fact been registered. She reminded the Committee that Spain had, upon ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child, entered a declaration with regard to intercountry adoption. Under national law, Spaniards wishing to adopt a child had to obtain an official certificate affirming that they were fit to be adoptive parents. Regulations for international adoption, on the other hand, did not include such a requirement. Spain was currently preparing to ratify the Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in respect of Intercountry Adoption and to apply the fitness requirement for adoptive parents to intercountry adoption as well, so that the same requirements would obtain for domestic and international adoption.

43. Turning to the question of minors in armed conflict, she said that under Spanish law both the second cycle of the bachillerato and a university preparatory course must be completed before military service could be performed. Most Spaniards performed military service at the age of 18. Sixteen-year-olds could, however, perform voluntary military service if they had either received parental permission or been "emancipated".

44. While towns with more than 20,000 inhabitants were obliged to provide basic social services, for towns with smaller populations the Act Regulating the Basis of Local Government established that such services should be provided on a shared basis. Spain had many small villages with few inhabitants; providing a social worker for each would not be feasible.

45. Concerning the suggestion that there was a lack of public interest in the Convention, she submitted that it would not be hard to find evidence, in public affairs or in academic studies, that the general well-being of children was a foremost concern in Spanish society. Perhaps what remained to be achieved was improved harmonization and integration, both under the law and in the popular perception of the Convention, of concerns and provisions that sometimes appeared to be contradictory. To give just one example, in regard to the topical issue of sects, how was the child's right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion to be reconciled in all cases with the right to protection from physical or mental harm?

46. Mr. LOPEZ (Spain) remarked that a great deal of public debate on the question of protection of the right of the child to privacy had been sparked off the previous year by intense media coverage of a case involving allegations of sexual abuse and maltreatment. Popular indignation had initially focused on the allegations themselves, then on the exposure of the victims to the excessive attention of the media, and only subsequently on the fact that a provision of the Convention had been violated. There had thus been various levels of concern, but it could hardly be claimed that there had been a "lack of interest" in the essential issue, namely, the welfare of children.

47. Concerning general action on the maltreatment of children, he described the coordination of what were essentially preventive measures at the central and Autonomous Community levels. They involved the authorities, NGOs and the media, with a nationwide awareness-raising campaign, "ˇEscúchalos!" ("Listen to them!"), as a focal point, and with training - particularly the training of trainers in child-care professions - as a very significant component. The compilation of case studies, follow-up, experimental and research projects and regular coordination meetings between interested parties at the central and local levels also formed part of that action, in which a number of universities were also involved. The State financed 50 per cent of the costs of initiatives in the Autonomous Communities; 100 million pesetas had been allocated for that purpose in the current year. Further details would be found in the delegation's written reply to question 13 in the list of issues.
48. Mr. GONZALEZ DE LINARES (Spain), replying to questions on official development assistance (ODA), reminded the Committee that Spain had only in recent years progressed from being a recipient to being a provider of aid. Since the mid-1980s, the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI) had been coordinating ODA programmes and projects, the volume of which had amounted in 1993 to between 0.24 and 0.28 per cent of GNP, marking a 12 per cent increase on the figure for the previous year. Lobbying was under way in Madrid for achievement of the original General Assembly target of 0.7 per cent of GNP. There could be no doubt as to the political will to furnish and increase such assistance, which was primarily addressed to Latin American, north African and sub-Saharan countries, some Middle Eastern countries and the Palestinian people. Spain also made voluntary contributions to various international bodies, including UNDP and UNICEF. Concerning non-official assistance, he paid special tribute to the efforts of the Spanish Committee for UNICEF, which was Europe's major fund-raiser of its kind, tapping both official and private sources. The fact that its campaign targets were invariably exceeded was another indicator of the people's concern for children's welfare everywhere. Spain, besides being a party to various multilateral and bilateral development cooperation agreements, contributed as a member of the European Union some 5 to 8 per cent of the funds allocated by the European Commission for education and health.

49. The CHAIRPERSON asked whether there were any additional questions or comments on general measures of implementation, inviting members of the Committee to leave specifics for the later part of the discussion.

50. Mr. MOMBESHORA said he understood that there might be inequalities in the budgets of the different Autonomous Communities. He inquired whether there was any provision for intervention by a central ministry in the case of a shortfall jeopardizing the programme of an autonomous administration.

51. The CHAIRPERSON, speaking in a personal capacity, inquired how, in the context of what had been described as a virtually federal State structure, the central and autonomous authorities proceeded to encourage nationwide commitment to and implementation of the Convention. Did any decentralized procedure for recognition or adoption of the Convention exist, at the regional level, for example? He further asked, in connection with the ombudsman, how different attitudes and approaches to that institution in the various Autonomous Communities were reconciled. Lastly, he inquired whether the implementation of article 4 of the Convention in regard to the allocation "to the maximum extent of ... available resources for the rights of the child" could be discussed when budgets were being apportioned at the regional and local levels.

52. Mrs. EUFEMIO noted with approval the importance attached to national consensus in policy-making, standard-setting and implementation. But what mechanisms were available for reaching final decisions when consensus could not be obtained, for example on the allocation and distribution of budgetary and other resources?

53. Mgr. BAMBAREN GASTELUMENDI said he would welcome information on the monitoring of implementation at the national and Autonomous Community levels by representatives drawn from society.

54. Mrs. SANTOS PAIS observed that the amount of time spent on the discussion of general measures of implementation reflected the importance of the Convention as an instrument and a reference point for modifying attitudes and defining or redefining policies, structures and programmes.

55. She singled out coordination as one especially significant prerequisite, especially in a largely decentralized country like Spain. Consensus, too, was essential, but rather as a deeply rooted principle for the conduct of affairs than as a political catchword or fashion. Decentralized autonomy, obviously enhanced knowledge of situations, problems, solutions, successes and failures, and promoted the habit of public scrutiny; its only drawback was that it could obscure the overall national picture that was also needed in order properly to assess the success or otherwise of implementation. How was that overall perspective to be obtained? Through information-gathering, both geographically and thematically, through the evaluation of results and identification of initiatives that deserved emulation, and through the monitoring of progress in the shaping of policies in the various Autonomous Communities.

56. The allocation of resources was another major issue, with redistribution and the removal of old economic regional disparities a fundamental objective. As far as the Committee was concerned, the "best interests of the child" and "maximum extent" provisions in articles 3 and 4 of the Convention were of crucial importance in that connection, and should be kept very much to the fore. Thought should be given to ways and means of utilizing the Convention to effect lasting changes in deeply-rooted social attitudes. She was thinking particularly about pockets of prejudice or habits of separate treatment with regard to certain sections of the population, such as migrants and Gypsies, for example. Lastly, while maintaining respect for the freedom of expression, how could the Convention be used effectively to bring about a change in the attitudes of the media, and ideally to promote a code of ethics whereby the rights of the child would be addressed in a proper manner?

57. The CHAIRPERSON, speaking in a personal capacity, reverted to the matter of regional and local budgets and observed that there was a need for minimum national standards that could be reconciled with decentralization. He asked the Spanish delegation whether statistics had been compiled to illustrate the actual situation with regard to budgetary allocations for different sectors in different parts of the country, or to demonstrate the impact of economic recession both on resources themselves and - directly or indirectly - on the welfare of children. Had any systematic studies been carried out in that regard?

58. He appreciated the response by the delegation to questions on ODA, the volume of which was gradually increasing, but requested further information on the substance and content of Spanish ODA in general, and on the proportion of such assistance that was directed to the social sector.

The meeting rose at 1.05 p.m.

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