The Provincial Council of Huelva

The Province of Huelva is located in the south west of Spain, being part of the autonomous region of Andalusia. It borders on the province of Badajoz in the northern part, on the Atlantic Ocean in the southern part, on Seville in the eastern part and on Portugal in the western part. The province of Huelva increases its altitude as one moves towards the North, being the mountain range the northern third. In the province of Huelva there are 79 municipalities (small towns), with a total population of 492.174 inhabitants in accordance with the population census in 2006. It has got a population density of 47,67 hab/Km2, concentrating the greatest part of the provincial population, the 61%, on the Coast. The Provincial Council is the Government Authority of the Province of Huelva; it was constituted by Royal Decree in 1835. Provincial Councils have among their essential aims to promote the prosperity of the province and the welfare of their inhabitants as well as the integral help and development of towns with less than 20.000 inhabitants.

The present Corporation is composed by 24 members and the President of the Provincial Council, Ms. Petronila Guerrero. It is organized in 14 thematic areas, and among them it is the International Cooperation Area. From 1992 the Provincial Council of Huelva has assigned from the budget an entry for international development cooperation. The international development cooperation and the humanitarian aid are the expression of the principle of solidarity among the people whose aim is to support the impoverished countries on the achievement of their development in an autonomous way and in a continuous harmony with their environment. From 1996, the Plenum of this Corporation is carrying out an outstanding economical effort to get the mythical 0’7% of its Current Provincial Budget for development cooperation. In accordance with the provincial population, the Provincial Council of Huelva is one of the Andalusia Public Institutions that has given more resources for the struggle against poverty and the development of the third countries.

The International Cooperation Area of the Provincial Council of Huelva is the means that manages the International Development Cooperation Policy whose most important functions are as follows: - Management of subsidies towards NGOs for the fulfilment of international cooperation projects. - Management of direct cooperation projects, within a bilateral or multilateral framework, through the participation in the PNUD ART Initiative. - Cooperation and technical support to the towns and local communities of the province for the fulfilment of international cooperation projects and actions. - Promotion of actions in training, sensitizing and value education with the aim of favouring the caring compromise of the society. - Humanitarian aid before emergency situations caused by natural disasters, conflicts, etc. - Volunteering Program.