Pedro Sanchez defends multilateralism at the UN and criticizes Trump

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez defended multilateralism and the rules-based international order in his speech before the UN General Assembly in New York. “I come to this platform with one goal: to defend what many are trying to destroy. I come to reclaim the principles and ambitions that inspired the creation of this organization 81 years ago,” he said. And he argued that "multilateralism is the best tool that humanity has to manage its diversity and interdependence, especially in a global and multipolar world like the current one". In his opinion, principles such as "peace, sustainability and equal opportunities" which eight years ago - during his first speech at the UN - appeared shared, "today are attacked by political actors and governments who want to take us back to a gray past". "There is no need to point them out. We all know who they are and what their mudus operandi is," he added.

The points of Sanchez's speech

The prime minister also called for a reform of the Security Council, with the abolition of the permanent members' veto rights: "No country can be both judge and party to the dispute, no matter how powerful it is." “The time has come for a woman from Latin America to occupy the general secretariat,” she said: “How can an organization that claims to speak on behalf of all humanity have never had a woman at the helm? How can we claim to represent all continents if, in the last three decades, we have not allowed the third most populous continent to occupy this role?”, she said. On the international level, he defended Spain's position in opposition to wars and in defense of international law, with the sanctions on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine or the arms embargo on Israel for the genocide in Gaza, recalling that Madrid "has increased its contribution to the multilateral system by 60%.

The question of migrants

Sanchez also addressed the issue of immigration, after the massive entry of

migrants coming from Morocco at the end of July: "In moments like these, the

temptation is to choose the shortcut; give in to fear, turn the migrant into an enemy and violate the law, but Spain will not do it, and neither will Ceuta", he assured.

The comment on Trump

In an interview with the American host and historical face of progressive satire Jon Stewart for the podcast 'The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart', the Spanish prime minister commented on the speech given by Donald Trump to the UN General Assembly.

"I think it was a very ideological speech, not supported by facts and data," Sanchez said, citing in particular the US president's positions on climate change, the war in Iran and the situation in the Middle East, noting that "his political positions are not, let's say, widely supported by many countries in the world," he said.