Pedro Sánchez expresses Spain's support for a woman from Latin America and the Caribbean to be the UN secretary-general

Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, Madrid

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, with a group of women participating in the event (Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa)

"It is time for international institutions to reflect the diverse, plural and fair reality of our societies," said the president during the closing ceremony of the Women Leading the UN of the 21st Century meeting, organised by Global GWL Voices, where he defended the fact that equality between men and women is not something symbolic but a question of human rights.

The president warned that multilateralism faces a crisis marked by geopolitical tensions, conflicts, polarisation and distrust of institutions by those who would prefer to "impose the law of the strongest". Against this, he has called for working to reform and strengthen multilateral institutions, rather than weakening or abandoning them.

In this context, he underlined that the historical exclusion of women from decision-making positions is a "democratic anomaly", recalling that since its foundation in 1945, no woman has been the UN secretary-general. "We cannot continue to exclude half of the talent and humanity from the places where their future is decided," he said.

The president insisted that feminism and multilateralism go hand in hand, as women's participation improves the legitimacy, sustainability and quality of collective decisions. For this reason, he supported the appointment of a woman from Latin America and the Caribbean to lead the UN. "Because it's time and it's only fair," he said.

In this regard, he highlighted the progress achieved in terms of equality in Spain, such as the improvement in European indicators, the reinforcement of parity in decision-making centres, the reduction of the wage gap, the increase in female employment and the extension of rights linked to joint responsibility and the fight against sex-based violence.

"In Spain we have made gender equality a real priority. Within and beyond our borders," emphasised Sanchez, recalling that in the international sphere we work with a feminist foreign policy, which is committed to the presence of women in peace processes, integrating their voice in humanitarian action, climate financing and the governance of new technologies.

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, talks with the President of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar | Pool Moncloa / Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

On the fringes of the forum, the president held a meeting with the President of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, with whom he discussed the excellent state of relations between the two countries. They also shared their support for the EU enlargement process, in particular with the Western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine, on the basis of the completion of the necessary internal reforms. They also welcomed progress on the EU-MERCOSUR agreement.

In addition, the president took part in a family photo with representatives of the Global Women Leaders Voices (GWL Voices) organisation, such as its president, Sausana Malcorra; co-founders Helen Clark and Irina Bokova, as well as its executive director, Maria Fernanda Espinosa. The Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Rebeca Grynspan, and the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Diene Keita, have also joined in.

Non official translation