Castilla-La Mancha and UN-Habitat Against Rural Depopulation: What It Means for Municipalities and Managers in 2026

Key data

Rural municipalities in Castilla-La Mancha at risk of depopulation have had a new instrument at their disposal since December 2024. The regional Board has formalized an agreement with the Regional Program Division of UN-Habitat — signed simultaneously in Nairobi and Toledo on December 20, 2024 and published in the BOE on October 22, 2026 — by which it acts as a donor to finance the project «Support for the Implementation and Monitoring of the New Urban Agenda in Castilla-La Mancha».

The practical result: UN-Habitat will provide its international methodology to develop ADUR Agendas in vulnerable territories of the region, in line with the Law 2/2021 of Castilla-La Mancha and SDG 11 on sustainable cities and communities.

What does this regulation establish?

The agreement defines a collaboration structure in which the Board of Communities of Castilla-La Mancha does not directly execute the project, but rather channels funds to UN-Habitat so that this international organization develops it with its own methodology.

The specific elements of the agreement are as follows:

The ADUR Agendas are strategic planning documents that define the development priorities of a territory, integrating urban and rural dimensions. Their development with UN-Habitat support involves incorporating international standards from the New Urban Agenda, the global framework approved at the Habitat III Conference in 2016.

Economic and operational impact

The agreement does not detail in the text published in the BOE the exact amount of the Board's contribution to UN-Habitat. However, the operational impact for territorial actors is clear and concrete:

• Access to free international methodology for participating municipalities: the cost of UN-Habitat technical assistance is assumed by the Board, not by the municipalities.
• Framework for eligibility for European funds: having an ADUR developed with international standards can strengthen the position of municipalities in EU territorial cohesion calls.
• Alignment with Law 2/2021: municipalities that develop their ADUR within the framework of this agreement simultaneously comply with the mandate of the regional law to combat depopulation.
• Involvement of local development groups: these groups must coordinate with the Board and UN-Habitat the participation of their territories in the project.

Who does it affect?

• Rural municipalities of Castilla-La Mancha at risk of depopulation: they are the direct beneficiaries of the ADUR Agendas that will be developed.
• Local Action Groups (LAGs) and rural development groups operating in the region: they must articulate their participation in the ADUR development process.
• First Vice-Presidency of the Board of CLM: responsible for coordinating and monitoring the agreement as a donor.
• Technical staff and territorial planning managers of regional and local administration: they will be the interlocutors with UN-Habitat in project implementation.
• Consulting firms and entities specialized in rural development working with Castilla-La Mancha administrations: the agreement may generate demand for complementary services in diagnosis, citizen participation and plan drafting.

Practical example

A municipality in the province of Cuenca with fewer than 500 inhabitants and sustained negative demographic trends — a typical profile of the target territories of this agreement — can request through the Board of CLM its inclusion in the project financed by this agreement.

In that case, UN-Habitat would apply its New Urban Agenda methodology to develop the municipality's ADUR: territorial diagnosis, identification of development levers, definition of objectives and monitoring metrics. The cost of this international technical assistance — which if contracted directly in the market would have a significant cost — would be covered by the funds provided by the Board as a donor.

The local development group of the region would act as a facilitator of the participatory process, coordinating the involvement of residents, local businesses and other territorial actors. The final result would be an ADUR certified with international standards, aligned with Law 2/2021 and SDG 11, which the municipality could use as a reference document to access European territorial cohesion financing.

What should organizations do now?

1. Identify whether the municipality or territory meets the depopulation risk profile defined by Law 2/2021 of Castilla-La Mancha: this is the main eligibility criterion for participating in the project.
2. Contact the First Vice-Presidency of the Board of CLM to learn about the project implementation schedule and the mechanisms for municipalities to join the ADUR process.
3. Review whether the municipality already has an ADUR or equivalent instrument: if it does not, this agreement represents the most direct and cost-free way to develop it with international methodology.
4. Coordinate with the Local Action Group of the region to articulate territorial participation and leverage synergies with other active rural development instruments in the area.
5. Document the ADUR development process from the start: methodological traceability will be key to justify eligibility in future European territorial cohesion fund calls.

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-21946