* The present document is being issued without formal editing.

Information received from Spain on follow-up to the concluding observations on its ninth periodic report *

[Date received: 6 March 2026]

I.Additional information relating to the concluding observations (CEDAW/C/ESP/CO/9)

A.Information relating to paragraph 18 (c)

National machinery for the advancement of women

1.Gender equality is one of the four cross-cutting themes of the recovery, transformation and resilience plan of Spain. The gender dimension is explicitly incorporated in the components most closely related to the green transition, namely, component 1, Urgent action plan for sustainable, safe and connected mobility in urban and metropolitan environments; component 2, Plan for housing rehabilitation and urban renewal; component 4, Conservation and restoration of ecosystems and their biodiversity; component 5, Preservation of the coast and of water resources; component 7, Reforms and investments for the deployment and integration of renewable energy; component 8, Electrical infrastructure, promotion of smart grids, and deployment of flexibility and storage; component 9, Reforms and investments in a roadmap for renewable hydrogen and its sectoral integration; and component 10, Reforms and investments for the strategy for a just and inclusive transition.

2.One of the key priorities of the decision on the Government’s declaration on the climate and environmental emergency is, specifically, to ensure that inequality is reduced and that women participate in the energy transition actively and on an equal footing, taking into account the differing effects of the transition on women and men, and approaching the processes in their entirety from a gender perspective. Accordingly, Act No. 7/2021 of 20 May 2021, on climate change and the energy transition, in its article 2 (i), establishes gender equality as one of its guiding principles and, in its article 27 (3), stipulates that the strategy for a just transition, as well as the mechanisms for implementing and developing that strategy, shall be prepared taking into account a gender perspective, and shall ensure that the principles of social inclusion and universal accessibility are upheld. In addition, article 37 (2) requires a balance between women and men in the Committee of Experts on Climate Change and the Energy Transition, while article 39 (1) requires such a balance in the national Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change. Furthermore, the Act’s fourth final provision requires that data on mortality and morbidity risks resulting from high temperatures, particularly risks affecting vulnerable populations, be disaggregated by sex.

3.In the same way, the 2021–2030 national climate change adaptation plan includes gender mainstreaming as a cross-cutting line of action to address the unequal effects of climate change on women and girls and to promote their role as agents of change. That line of action must be applied in a cross-cutting manner to all the sectoral areas of the plan (water, energy and so on). To that end, it is established in the plan that: (1) sex-disaggregated data on climate change exposure, vulnerability and impacts will be collected and specific indicators will be developed to understand gender inequalities and to support gender-sensitive adaptation; (2) gender differences in terms of access to information and training, risk perception, environmental behaviours and lifestyles will be taken into consideration; and (3) women will be considered as active agents of change, and their access to leadership positions, their resilience and decision-making capabilities, their full, equal and meaningful participation in key decision-making forums, and consideration of their contributions to solutions will be promoted.

4.The 2021–2030 integrated national energy and climate plan also reflects a firm commitment to a gender perspective and emphasizes the need to attract talent to the renewable energy sector to strengthen women’s participation on an equal footing. In the same vein, in the subsequent update of the plan for 2023–2030, a specific measure on a gender perspective is included, and gender is also mainstreamed in other measures and sections of the plan.

5.The long-term strategy for decarbonization by 2050 (the long-term strategy for a modern, competitive, and climate-neutral Spanish economy by 2050) includes gender equality as a cross-cutting factor in the achievement of climate neutrality, with several related lines of action.

6.Among the social and environmental challenges mentioned in the energy storage strategy, gender equality is recognized as a cross-cutting factor in the green transition. It is stated in the strategy that the positive impact of gender on the transition to a climate-neutral economy must therefore be strengthened, paying special attention to questions such as achieving a balance between women and men, and women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation in the energy transition at all levels (an example of the application of the strategy is Order No. TED/1447/2021 of 22 December 2021, on the regulatory framework for granting assistance for innovative research and development projects related to energy storage as part of the recovery, transformation, and resilience plan).

7.It is stated in the national strategy against energy poverty 2019–2024 that the availability of sex-disaggregated statistical data must be improved in order to enhance the understanding of the situation and trends related to energy poverty from a gender perspective.

8.Furthermore, it is stated in the Spanish circular economy strategy 2030 that the strategy’s cross-cutting nature will be channelled through economic sustainability, social sustainability (including a gender perspective) and environmental sustainability, in accordance with a new model that promotes not only environmental protection and the transformation of the production system but also progress, social well-being and gender equality. For this reason, when grants are awarded to promote the circular economy in the business sector under the Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation in the Circular Economy, higher priority is given to applicant organizations that hold gender equality certificates and have women in senior management positions.

9.In the specific area of decarbonizing transportation and mobility, the Government is developing various measures to promote gender equality in transport policy by removing potential barriers, increasing the proportion of women in the transport workforce (currently 22% in the European Union), and improving safety on public transport and accessibility for women who are pregnant or accompanying minors.

10.The 2030 strategy for safe, sustainable, and connected mobility, which is the strategic plan of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility and was approved by the Council of Ministers on 10 December 2021, therefore includes various measures under line of action 1.5, Universal accessibility; line of action 8.3, Working conditions in the sphere of transport; and line of action 8.4, Women in the transport and mobility sector.

11.This strategic approach is complemented by the legislative development of the Sustainable Mobility Bill, which includes a specific article on gender perspectives, equal treatment and non-discrimination in mobility, since, despite the gradual inclusion of women in the sector, their numbers remain low, which means that institutions must be more involved in identifying barriers and establishing resources and analyses to rectify the situation and increase interest and participation among women.

12.Along the same lines, the three commitments of the Government of Spain to the Generation Equality Forum have, as their priority action coalition, Feminist Action for Climate Justice. Those commitments are gender equality and empowerment of women and girls in the ecological transition in Spain; the promotion of women’s green and/or rural entrepreneurship; and the push for the integration of the gender approach in the management of water resources.

13.The gender equality microsite on the website of the Ministry for the Green Transition and the Demographic Challenge provides up-to-date information on the systematic integration of a gender perspective into the design and implementation of climate change policies in Spain.

B.Information relating to paragraph 27 (a)

Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution

14.During the fourteenth legislature, work was carried out on the preliminary draft of a comprehensive organic law against trafficking and exploitation of human beings, with the then Ministry of Justice as sponsor and the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Equality, and the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration as co-sponsors. After being approved at first reading by the Council of Ministers, the preliminary draft fell because a general election was called. That election was held in July 2023.

15.On 8 March 2024, International Women’s Day, the text of the preliminary draft was reintroduced and approved at first reading at an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers. On that occasion, the Ministry of Equality was the sponsor, and the other ministries listed above were co-sponsors.

16.Following the hearing and public information procedure, the Ministry of Equality received reports from the ministerial departments and the autonomous communities, as well as from the Social Forum Against Trafficking in Human Beings for Sexual Exploitation. Meetings were held with specialized bodies, a group of experts formed for the purpose, and the co-sponsoring ministries.

17.In the area of preventing, detecting and combating trafficking in children and adolescents, the Ministry of Youth and Childhood has allocated budgetary funds to strengthen child protection systems in the regions where unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents first arrive (in 2024, 57 million for the Canary Islands, 10.5 million for Ceuta and 6 million for Melilla). In addition, the Government of Spain and the European Union Agency for Asylum have signed an operational plan to train professionals who work with unaccompanied migrant children or adolescents in various areas, including with regard to trafficking.

18.In addition, the Ministry of Youth and Childhood is currently drafting a royal decree on care systems for children and adolescents. Civil society organizations specialized in the fight against trafficking have been consulted in the development of the decree, which is intended to enhance training for professionals in this field and to ensure that vulnerable children and adolescents who have been victims of trafficking receive the specific care that they need.

C.Information relating to paragraph 39 (a)

Disadvantaged groups of women

19.Although there are no plans to adopt a specific organic law on the equal participation of Roma in institutional consultations, Spain has adopted regulatory and policy measures that promote the equitable representation and equal treatment of the Roma civil society movement in consultative bodies and participatory forums.

20.In that regard, Comprehensive Act No. 15/2022 of 12 July 2022, on equal treatment and non-discrimination, establishes the general principles that should guide the actions of the public authorities with respect to equality, including, by extension, the equitable representation of women and men in consultative and representative bodies.

21.In addition, provision is explicitly made for the representation of Roma women in the State Council of the Roma People, an interministerial collegiate body that has a consultative and advisory role and provides an institutional framework for collaboration and cooperation between Roma associations and the National Administration. In particular, Royal Decree No. 891/2005 of 22 July 2005, on the establishment and regulation of that State Council, stipulates in its article 7 (b) that, of the 20 members representing Roma associations, 2 must represent women’s organizations. The Royal Decree is implemented through Order No. DSA/79/2022 of 31 January 2022, launching the selection process for the appointment of those members of the State Council representing Roma associations. In accordance with the Royal Decree, at least two seats are reserved for bodies whose primary purpose, specified in their statutes, is the advancement of Roma women. Article 14 of the internal regulations of the State Council provides that at least one organization of Roma women must be represented on the Permanent Commission of the Council.

22.In addition, in line with the priorities set out in the national strategy for Roma equality, inclusion and participation (2021–2030), the State Council has established a specific working group on equal treatment, non-discrimination and gender equality. The group’s work helps to advance gender mainstreaming in the development of policies for the Roma community.

23.A meeting of Roma women, held during the fifth Anti-Racism Week, in March 2025, resulted in a proposal to establish and institutionalize a Roma women’s network, attached to the Ministry of Equality, to meet the need to coordinate public policies with an intersectional approach and from a gender perspective. The network will ensure that Roma women participate actively in the design, implementation and evaluation of policies that affect them, promoting representation and self-organization, and will help to recognize Roma women as experts on their own needs and challenges. The network meets the priorities set out in the national strategy for Roma equality, inclusion and participation (2021–2030), namely, promoting gender equality and the empowerment of Roma women; reducing inequality gaps in education, employment and health; and combating discrimination and stereotypes.

D.Information relating to paragraph 41 (d)

Refugees and migrant women

24.First, it should be noted that all applications for international protection submitted at the various formalization units must be managed (considered and processed) by the Directorate General for International Protection, which has a single headquarters in Madrid. Since the Directorate General has a single headquarters, there are no other “international protection offices”.

25.The Directorate General for the Real and Effective Equality of LGBTI+ Persons, attached to the Ministry of Equality, participates in the review of international protection cases relating to lesbian, bisexual and trans women who have suffered persecution or violence in their countries of origin, through the work of the Interministerial Commission on Asylum and Refugees.

26.In addition, as part of the emergency care provided to arrivals on the coast by the auxiliary body, the Spanish Red Cross, the Government of Spain is taking a series of special measures for female migrants, who are considered a vulnerable group in their own right.

27.Apart from the initial healthcare check that all arriving migrants undergo, the procedure for female migrants differs, from the start, from the procedure for men.

28.There are also differences for migrant women during the collection of basic personal information for registration. When that information is collected, usually in the first room of the care centre, the women are given a set of wristbands to identify potential vulnerabilities, which are then verified during an individual interview.

29.Women, minors and members of the units concerned go to the individual interview area so that potential vulnerabilities can be identified and assessed in a more private setting.

30.Once the Spanish Red Cross has provided assistance on the coast, it sends an initial report to the transfer team at the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, setting out any potential vulnerabilities identified, including the fact that the person concerned is female and whether or not she is pregnant.

31.With regard to the opening of police offices in Ceuta, international protection intake points in Ceuta and Melilla have been operational for some time (specifically in Ceuta, next to the Tarajal land border crossing). These intake points are managed by National Police officers assigned to the respective regional headquarters, who are, when necessary, reinforced by officers of the General Commissariat of Immigration and Borders.

32.The consideration, processing and resolution of applications for international protection, and, where applicable, the issuance of related notifications, all of which is the responsibility of the Directorate General for International Protection, begins following the initial formalization of those applications. The applications are initially formalized at police stations in two stages:

•Collection of personal data and fingerprints (Eurodac system);

•Personal interview (in accordance with article 17 (4) of Act No. 12/2009 of 30 October 2009, regulating the right to asylum and subsidiary protection).

33.To formalize an application for international protection, an appointment must be made in advance. A weblink established for that purpose provides an explanation (with redirection to the National Police website) of how to submit an application for international protection in each province; in the specific case of Ceuta, online appointments are available.

34.With regard to the reference, in the concluding observations, to the “implementation of the new digital system for case follow-up”, work is under way to develop a new software application known as LARES, to replace the current ASILO database, which dates back to 1996.

35.LARES will enhance the interoperability of the international protection system, allow many actions to be digitized, introduce electronic files in the international protection process, streamline administrative procedures, and make the system better adapted to current needs and challenges.

36.The rollout of this new tool is in its final stages; it is now fully implemented and operational with regard to applications for the status of statelessness. In addition, there are plans to roll out all the international protection modules (borders, territory and resources) in a gradual and scheduled manner, with the goal of having LARES fully operational by the implementation deadline for the European Pact on Migration and Asylum in June 2026.