Pedro Sánchez calls for multilateral and supportive responses to COVID-19 pandemic

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The President of the Government took part in the High-level Event on Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond, co-convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, and the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness. The aim is to unite the international community regarding initiatives and measures to back developing countries in the context of COVID-19.

Pedro Sánchez underlined that "the pandemic has clearly shown us that we live in a totally interdependent world in which national solutions are insufficient. Today, more than ever, we need to offer multilateral, supportive responses that are capable of managing global public assets, such as global health and come together in the fight against climate change.

The Government of Spain signed up to this initiative, which included the participation of the Heads of State and Government of Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Japan, Norway, Vietnam, Costa Rica, the Ivory Coast, Mexico, South Africa, Barbados, Kazakhstan and the European Union, with the collaboration of the International Monetary Fund, the African Union, the Institute of International Finance, the World Bank and the OECD.

In his speech by video, the President of the Government set out the new Spanish Cooperation Strategy to tackle the pandemic. This commitment by the Government of Spain is based on three main priorities: to save lives, to strengthen local public health systems; to protect and recover rights and means of living, helping national productive systems, particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises; and to strengthen social protection systems, with a particular focus on the gender perspective. Spain will work closely with its partners in Africa and Latin America to adapt the responses to the needs of each region.

The President of the Government stressed the importance of supporting developing countries "so that they can cater for the needs of their citizens without becoming over-indebted, which then becomes an unsustainable burden for the future", he said. "We know that action by governments is not enough, which is why it is key to work closely with the private sector in a constructive manner, forging public-private alliances and associations that free up resources to develop towards more inclusive, fairer and more sustainable economic models at a social and environmental level. We must provide a multilateral response".

Non official translation