PEDRO SÁNCHEZ PÉREZ-CASTEJÓN, President of Spain, recalled that on 10 September, a 32-year-old Spanish aid worker named Emma Igual lost her life in the Bakhmut region of Ukraine when the vehicle in which she was travelling was hit by artillery fire, killing another aid worker and seriously injuring two more.  All four shared the same passion:  helping those in need.  Citing that example, he pointed to the “difficult choices ahead of us”, and the opposing options: working together, or looking out for oneself.  Turning to the climate emergency, which is “now in uncharted territory”, he stressed that “we cannot let temperatures increase by more than 1.5°C, and under no circumstances can global emissions peak any later than 2025.”  Calling for an unprecedented technological and economic revolution, he noted Spain is contributing €225 million to the Green Climate Fund and funds for instruments to strengthen climate justice, particularly for the most vulnerable countries. 

In defence of democracy, he pointed to a wave of extremism and reactionary thinking rising all over the world, marginalizing and criminalizing disadvantaged minorities, rejecting equality, as is not easy to combat a movement that has chosen lies, fear and manipulation as its main weapons. However, he drew hope from efforts to uphold the legacy of growth and progress.  This is particularly the case when it comes to equality between women and men, as recent events in the world of sport have shown, and there is no better antidote to reactionary extremism than feminism.  Turning to the 26 July coup in Niger, he cited its serious implications, as alongside Mauritania, it was one of the only countries in the Sahel with a democratically elected Government.  Reiterating support for the mediation efforts of ECOWAS, he also cited initiatives in Latin America including transitional justice work being done in Colombia, and constitutional reform in Chile.

In defence of multilateralism and a rule-based international order, he called for more spending on ODA, with Spain pledging to allocate 0.7 per cent of its gross national income to it by 2030.  The international community must stop thinking of sustainable development financing in billions of dollars and start measuring it in trillions, he stated.  On 31 December 2020, Spain and the United Kingdom concluded a bilateral agreement on Gibraltar, and he voiced confidence that the European Union and United Kingdom will soon reach an agreement regarding the territory.  This agreement must be in line with UN policy on this matter, and Spain’s legal position regarding sovereignty and jurisdiction in relation to Gibraltar.  “Our goal is the development of a prosperous social and economic area encompassing the whole of Gibraltar as well as the Campo de Gibraltar area on the Spanish side of the border,” he said.

On the future of Europe, he reiterated condemnation of the Russian Federation’s unwarranted and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine — recalling that, as a show of support, he had launched Spain’s European Union Presidency from Kyiv on 18 July.  He hailed a Europe that stands on the front line in the fight against inequality and in defending individual rights and public freedoms.  The continent must also control irregular immigration and provide routes for orderly, regular migration, and strengthen its transatlantic alliances with countries such as the United States and Canada, as well as Asian, African and Latin American partnerships.  Referring back to Ms. Igual, who lost her life in Bakhmut, he recalled she was the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor who lost most of her family during the Nazi era.  “If there is a place where Emma deserves to have her story told, it is, without a doubt, here before the United Nations General Assembly,” he proclaimed.