Development Co‑operation Profiles: Uruguay
Table of contents
International development co-operation is an important component of Uruguay’s foreign policy. Uruguay has a dual role in development co-operation, as both a provider and a recipient. It provides development co-operation through bilateral and regional technical co-operation, multilateral contributions, South-South and triangular co-operation, decentralised co-operation, as well as scholarships and trainings. Uruguay’s development co-operation focuses on the Latin America and Caribbean region.
This profile presents verified data on development assistance allocation. See the Development Co-operation Profiles.
Uruguay’s international development co-operation is in line with its wider national foreign policy priorities defined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This co-operation is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda. National priorities are outlined in the International Development Cooperation Policy for Sustainable Development by 2030, which provides an overview of the vision for Uruguay’s contribution to sustainable development, and is based on a commitment to human rights, reducing inequality, multilateralism and the environment. The Uruguayan Agency for International Cooperation (AUCI), which is responsible for implementing Uruguay’s development co-operation activities, is guided by the Strategic Priorities for International Co-operation for Sustainable Development 2020-2025. This document outlines the following sectoral priority areas for Uruguay’s development co-operation: equality and inclusion, education, health, economic innovation and development, the environment and green transition, digital transformation, and democratic governance. These priorities are reflected in a document outlining Uruguay’s technical co-operation good practices. Uruguay supports multilateral organisations, with a strong focus on gender equality and regional integration. The country contributes to specific programmes in a number of organisations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Technical Cooperation Fund of the International Atomic Energy Agency and UN Women.
Uruguay reported on Total Official Support to Sustainable Development (TOSSD) for the first time in 2023.
Uruguay reported 45 activities in support of sustainable development in 2023, all of them being cross‑border support to TOSSD recipients.
In 2023, Uruguay’s support to sustainable development mainly contributed to advancing SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals), SDG 3 (good health and well-being) and SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities).
In 2023, the 45 activities Uruguay reported were cross-border resource flows in support of sustainable development to TOSSD recipients, all of them allocated by country or region. In total, Uruguay’s cross‑border support benefited 12 countries, of which 11 were in Latin America and the Caribbean. Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay were the main partners of Uruguayan co-operation, by number of activities.
In 2023, 44% of Uruguay’s cross-border resources supported social infrastructure and services in TOSSD recipients in activity terms. Support in this area primarily focused on health, statistical capacity building and culture. In addition, 24% of Uruguay’s South-South co-operation activities targeted production sectors, mainly focused on agriculture, forestry and fishing.
In 2023, Uruguay engaged in triangular co-operation with the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mozambique and Paraguay, and through regional activities in Latin America and the Caribbean. The main sectors of its triangular co‑operation were industry, mining and construction; social infrastructure and services; and general environmental protection.
Learn more about triangular co-operation.
AUCI was created in 2010 within the Presidency of the Republic by Law 18719, Article 98, as the organisation in charge of Uruguay’s co-operation policy. It is a decentralised body with technical autonomy that communicates with the executive through the Presidency of the Republic. It has a Board of Directors comprised of its President, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Director of the Office of Planning and Budget. An Executive Director heads it.
AUCI is responsible for managing both Uruguay’s incoming and outgoing international development co‑operation. Its main duties are to design, co-ordinate, execute and evaluate development co-operation projects and programmes to ensure they comply with Uruguay’s development policies.
Access the full list of providers at this link: Development Co-operation Profiles.
Uruguayan Agency for International Cooperation (2022), “Strategic priorities for international cooperation for sustainable development 2020-2025”, https://www.gub.uy/agencia-uruguaya-cooperacion-internacional/institucional/plan-estrategico/prioridades-2020-2025 (in Spanish)
Uruguayan Agency for International Cooperation (2022), “Good practices of Uruguay’s development co‑operation”, https://www.gub.uy/agencia-uruguaya-cooperacion-internacional/comunicacion/campanas/buenas-practicas-cooperacion-uruguaya (in Spanish)
Government of the Republic of Uruguay (2019), “Uruguay’s International Co-operation Policy for Sustainable Development by 2030”, https://www.gub.uy/agencia-uruguaya-cooperacion-internacional/comunicacion/publicaciones/politica-de-cooperacion-internacional-de-uruguay-para-el-desarrollo (in Spanish)
Uruguay participated in the first Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) Regional Programme Dialogue on Development Co-operation in 2024.
Uruguay is a member of the International Forum on TOSSD. It has been reporting to TOSSD since 2023, on 2022 data.
The methodological notes provide further details on the definitions and statistical methodologies applied.
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