Pedro Sánchez celebrates having kept the G20 alive and argues that "renouncing multilateralism would be a historic mistake"

Johannesburg (South Africa)

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, appears at a press conference after the second day of the twentieth G20 Summit (Pool Moncloa / Borja Puig de la Bellacasa)

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, participated in the second day of the twentieth G20 summit, speaking at the third working session and addressing the media to give an assessment of the leaders' meeting.

Pedro Sánchez stressed that, despite the difficulties, the G20 has been kept alive and this space for dialogue and coordination, so important for global governance in the face of common challenges, has been strengthened. He argued that "abandoning multilateralism would be a historic mistake". In this regard, he expressed his appreciation to the South African presidency for adopting the Leaders' Declaration and for the constructive work of reviewing the functioning of the G20, in which Spain actively participated.

During the day, the President of the Government of Spain spoke at the working session "A Fair and a Just Future for All: Critical Minerals; Decent Work; Artificial Intelligence", pointing out that the increase in global demand for resources must be accompanied by the creation of transparent and diverse supply chains that guarantee the creation of fair value for producing countries and an inclusive and beneficial industrial future for all regions, emphasising the necessary link between the development of green industrialisation with secure, sustainable and diversified access to critical raw materials.

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, speaks on the second day of the twentieth G20 summit | Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

President Sánchez explained that the success of the green transition depends on its governance and the effective deployment of the technologies that drive it, emphasising the governance of Artificial Intelligence so that it serves to reduce inequalities and strengthen democracy. In this regard, he highlighted that the Government of Spain has been a pioneer in creating a public agency for the oversight of AI and a digital rights observatory, among other tools that guarantee accountability and transparency.

In his analysis of the labour market transformation brought about by digitalisation and automation, Pedro Sánchez stressed to the G20 leaders the need to build inclusive labour markets by strengthening collective bargaining and social protection, investing in skills and lifelong learning, and implementing fair and progressive taxation.

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during his speech on the second day of the G20 summit | Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

Pedro Sánchez asserted that "Spain is a leader in reducing inequality, and for this reason, we have given our full support to the proposal to create an intergovernmental panel to address this issue, rigorously and with data", alluding to the conclusions of the report coordinated by economist Joseph Stiglitz, which warns of the risk of erosion of social cohesion globally due to greater economic gaps and which mentions Spain as a leading model in reducing inequality, citing specific policies adopted by the Government.

President Sánchez also referred to the meeting convened by the President of the European Council, António Costa, to analyse the peace plan proposal presented by the United States to end Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, in which he highlighted Spain's position defending the presence of the European Union (EU) at the negotiating table. "For peace to last, it must be just and preserve the principles of the UN Charter and international law, including the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty of states", he asserted, underscoring the EU's commitment to Ukraine.

Non official translation