- Policy
- Uruguay’s support to sustainable development
- Contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals Uruguay: Sustainable Development Goals focus 2024
- Cross-border resources to TOSSD recipients (Pillar 1)
- Sectoral distribution Uruguay: Sectoral distribution of TOSSD 2024
- Triangular co-operation
- Institutional set-up
- Other profiles
- Additional resources
Development Co‑operation Profiles: Uruguay
Table of contents
International development co-operation is an integral component of Uruguay’s foreign policy, whose objective is to promote international solidarity to address common regional and global challenges, advance the human rights’ agenda, and foster integration and peace. Uruguay has a dual role in development co‑operation as both a provider and a recipient. Its approach is grounded in demand-based South-South and triangular co-operation (SSTC), with an emphasis on the principles of equality, respect for sovereignty, mutual benefit, effectiveness and results. Uruguay’s development co-operation focuses on Latin America and the Caribbean, with the aim of expanding to Africa and Asia.
This profile presents verified data on Uruguay’s development assistance allocation. See the Development Co-operation Profiles.
Uruguay´s international development co-operation is aligned with the national foreign policy priorities defined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in accordance with the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The International Development Cooperation Policy for Sustainable Development by 2030 guides Uruguay’s overall development co-operation. For the period 2025-2030, the Uruguayan Agency for International Cooperation (AUCI) has defined a set of strategic objectives aimed to: strengthen and articulate the National International Cooperation System; democratise access to international co-operation for sustainable development; enhance Uruguay’s positioning in the international arena; and promote results-based management grounded in knowledge and evidence. Uruguay’s technical development co-operation is supported by a comprehensive catalogue of good practices developed to facilitate mutual learning and transfer of expertise to partner countries, drawing on Uruguay’s proven experiences, knowledge and lessons learnt as a provider.
Uruguay also champions development co-operation through its participation and support for international and regional platforms. In 2026, Uruguay assumed the presidency of the G77 prioritising, among others, efforts to: promote new development indicators beyond gross domestic product; advance a fairer international financial architecture and strengthen SSTC; and promote climate actions. At the regional level, Uruguay took on the presidency of the Ibero-American Programme for the Strengthening of South‑South Cooperation in 2026, championing for stronger measurement and evaluation tools for SSTC, promoting strategic partnerships and consolidating decentralised co-operation. Uruguay also holds the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, prioritising co-operation on food security, energy transition, education and peacebuilding, and strengthened co-ordination to address transnational organised crime. Starting in July 2026, it will also assume the Pro Tempore Presidency of Mercosur.
Uruguay aims to be at the forefront of innovative climate finance. In 2022, it followed Chile to issue the world’s second sovereign sustainability linked bond (SLB). SLBs are “instruments whose structural and/or financial characteristics change according to whether issuers meet predefined sustainability objectives” (OECD, 2024). The Uruguayan SLB is the product of a whole-of-government endeavour undertaken by the Ministry of Economy and Finance; the Ministry of Environment; the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining; and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Relations and technical assistance from the Inter-American Development Bank and the United Nations Development Programme.
In 2023, the World Bank’s Executive Board also approved a USD 350 million loan for Uruguay, marking a global milestone by linking financing conditions for the first time to the achievement of environmental targets. It is aimed at supporting a reform programme to promote a more sustainable economy and strong, resilient growth.
Finally, Uruguay set up a Renewable Energy Innovation Fund designed to accelerate the country’s “second energy transition”, i.e. the decarbonisation of sectors beyond power generation, such as industry, transport and housing. The fund combines United Nations (UN) concessional funds with private commercial bank capital; provides flexible loans and technical assistance to firms deploying energy‑efficient technologies and supporting gender equality; and uses public money strategically to mobilise private investment (blended finance). Uruguay is the first country worldwide to pilot this specific UN‑backed financing model at national scale.
Source: IDB (2022), “Uruguay issues global sustainability-linked bond, with IDB support”, https://www.iadb.org/en/news/uruguay-issues-global-sustainability-linked-bond-idb-support; OECD (2024), Sustainability-Linked Bonds: How to Make Them Work in Developing Countries, and How Donors Can Help, https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2024/03/how-to-make-them-work-in-developing-countries-and-how-donors-can-help_f6f8805c/7ca58c00-en.pdf; Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uruguay (2022), Uruguay’s Sovereign Sustainability-linked Bond (SSLB) Framework: For Sustainability-Linked Bonds Focused on Climate and Nature-Based Targets, https://www.mef.gub.uy/innovaportal/file/30690/20/uruguay_sslb_framework__2.pdf; Uruguayan Agency for International Cooperation (2026), Good Practices of Uruguay’s Development Co‑operation, https://www.gub.uy/agencia-uruguaya-cooperacion-internacional/comunicacion/campanas/buenas-practicas-cooperacion-uruguaya (in Spanish).
Uruguay reported on Total Official Support to Sustainable Development (TOSSD) for the first time in 2023.
In 2024, Uruguay reported 53 activities in cross-border support of sustainable development to TOSSD‑recipient countries.
In 2024, Uruguay’s support to sustainable development mainly contributed to advancing SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals) and SDG 3 (good health and well-being).
In 2024, Uruguay participated in 12 triangular co‑operation activities implemented in 9 Latin American countries with the European Union, Portugal, Spain and the United States. Half of these activities supported the social infrastructure and services sectors, followed by support to economic infrastructure (33%), production sectors (8.3%) and cross‑cutting areas (8.3%), such as 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. It is an autonomous body with a Board of Directors comprised of a President (appointed by the President of the Republic), the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Director of the Office of Planning and Budget. AUCI is headed by an Executive Director. It is responsible for managing 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 development co-operation providers at: Development Co-operation Profiles.
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).
IDB (2022), “Uruguay issues global sustainability-linked bond, with IDB support”, https://www.iadb.org/en/news/uruguay-issues-global-sustainability-linked-bond-idb-support.
Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uruguay (2022), Uruguay’s Sovereign Sustainability-linked Bond (SSLB) Framework: For Sustainability-Linked Bonds Focused on Climate and Nature-Based Targets, https://www.mef.gub.uy/innovaportal/file/30690/20/uruguay_sslb_framework__2.pdf.
OECD (2024), Sustainability-Linked Bonds: How to Make Them Work in Developing Countries, and How Donors Can Help, OECD, Paris, https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2024/03/how-to-make-them-work-in-developing-countries-and-how-donors-can-help_f6f8805c/7ca58c00-en.pdf.
Uruguay is an Adherent to the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. Learn more about OECD legal instruments and DAC Recommendations.
Uruguay participated in the first Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) Regional Programme Dialogue on Development Co-operation in 2024 and in the 2025 LAC-DAC Co-Lab series on Reducing Poverty and Inequalities and Multidimensionality Metrics for Development.
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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