Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs focused on international image of COP25 in Madrid

Spain's offer to organise the 25th Conference of the Parties (COP25) in Madrid - under the Chilean presidency and in record time - represents a clear demonstration of the country's commitment to combating climate change. It also represents an inescapable opportunity for promoting Spain's international image as a top-level global player in the fight against what today constitutes one of the main threats to mankind.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation, Josep Borrell, explained this during the presentation of the campaign entitled "Spain: a global player against climate change", which took place on Thursday afternoon at Viana Palace in Madrid. He was accompanied at the event by the Minister for the Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera.

Teresa Ribera said that COP25 "will be a reaffirmation of multilateralism as the best tool for resolving a global challenge such as climate change". "Neither the UN nor the international community are allowing the climate agenda to flag at a key time for implementation and action. Spain was there to immediately step up and organise the conference in record time. There is no going back. Governments are continuing with the multilateral agenda to combat climate change through their responsibility to present and future generations", she said.

Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, UE y CooperaciónIn turn, Josep Borrell underlined the "joint action from the entire Government of Spain under leadership from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition" to accept the "COP25 challenge" and explained the main lines of action for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to show the world, "from a perspective of public diplomacy", "Spain's firm desire to be a global player in the fight against global warming", including the organisation of COP25 "at the toughest of times".

He went on to say that the State Secretary's Office for Global Spain, managed under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and responsible for projecting Spain's reputation overseas, has coordinated an international public diplomacy campaign comprising various essential aspects.

On the one hand, an exhaustive dossier of some 50 pages has been drawn up in Spanish and English to provide a basis. Josep Borrell said this document contains "the Spanish outlook" on climate change and "highlights the need for a fair transition that leaves nobody behind in transforming the productive system, which is vitally importance for tackling the current climate emergency".

It also covers Spain's strengths in terms of renewable energy investment and generation; implementation of the 2030 Agenda; and the increasingly more widespread consensus in Spanish society regarding the need to take urgent action. The Ministry for the Ecological Transition, the Directorate-General for Sustainable Development Policies and the Directorate-General for the United Nations were involved in preparing this dossier.

More than 80 activities in 60 countries scheduled

On the other hand, these ideas will be presented and debated at more than 80 activities prepared by Spain's representations in over 60 countries on all five continents, many of them in coordination with the Chilean Embassy and the local UN and EU delegations.

They include media presentations, Q&A sessions, conferences with the scientific community and educational activities that began on 19 November in Washington and will continue until the end of January 2020.

Climate change, denial and fake news, for debate at the COP25

Ministerio para la Transición EcológicaBesides the overseas activities, Global Spain has organised the Panel of Experts on Fake News and Denial on Climate Change in the blue zone of COP25 at IFEMA on 11 December. This Q&A session will include international experts on climate change, journalism and fake news, and will be presented and moderated by the State Secretary of Global Spain, Irene Lozano.

All these actions are supported by a video created for the occasion and which is expected to be "the most visible image of this public diplomacy campaign", as well as graphic material and a social media strategy launched by Global Spain from Thursday and lasting throughout the conference. The hashtag for social media will be #SpainForClimate, as well as #TimeForAction, the slogan for COP25.

Non official translation