<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>Yesterday, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, called for a new “coherent, reformed and responsible” UN Security Council in which the veto right of the five permanent members (USA, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom) ceases to exist, the use of which, he warned, generates “a constant blockage”. <span class="HwtZe" lang="en"><span class="jCAhz ChMk0b"><span class="ryNqvb">Also, and before the General Assembly, he announced that Spain will increase humanitarian and demining funding in Ukraine to 14 million euros and that his Government's goal is to increase its contribution to the UN by 25%.</span></span></span></strong></h4> <div class="lRu31" dir="ltr"> <div id="ow434">Sánchez made his proposals during the debate ‘Leadership for Peace’ of the Security Council, held at the headquarters of the United Nations and prior to his speech at the UN General Assembly.</div> </div> According to the head of the Executive, “today’s conflicts put the coherence of the members of the Council to the test.” “The resolutions of this body are not applied, the use of the veto is a constant blockage and one of its permanent members flagrantly violates the Charter of the United Nations by unjustifiably and illegally invading another country,” he warned. Pedro Sánchez also assured that “the application of International Law cannot be selective or conditioned by political or strategic interests” and, therefore, “violations of International Law must also be condemned, whether they occur in Ukraine, Gaza or Sudan.” In addition, the President of the Government warned of the need to “transform the system” of the United Nations, “preserving what works, which is a lot, and reforming what has become obsolete.” “The Security Council needs to change to adapt to current events and gain in operability,” he said. “Spain, as part of the United for Consensus group, advocates that the Security Council be expanded with non-permanent members and, logically, that the veto be abolished,” he announced. “As long as this veto remains, we will support all initiatives leading to the limitation of its use,” he assured. “We have just approved a very important and hopeful pact, which is the Pact for the Future, with a commitment to reinforce multilateralism among all for future generations,” recalled the head of the Executive. “Let us honour this commitment with a coherent, reformed and responsible Security Council,” he concluded. <h5><strong>General Assembly</strong></h5> After this event, Pedro Sánchez spoke before the United Nations General Assembly, in which he assured that “Spain is a country committed to the values of the UN, with an international order based on the norms and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter”, that “believes in international accountability mechanisms, defending institutions such as the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, essential for peace, justice and reparation for victims”, and that “it is guided by a fundamental maxim: the value of coherence. We say the same in Ukraine, in Gaza and anywhere in the world”. “Working actively for peace is today much more than a moral requirement, it is an existential necessity”, he warned. “For the first time, the number of conflicts in the world is growing, the number of countries involved in wars outside their borders is growing, at levels unprecedented since 1945, the number of wounded, mutilated, displaced people is increasing”, he said. “In the face of the apostles of disaster, the data say that we know how to do it,” said Sánchez. “Infant mortality has dropped from 50 to four percent in half a century, the number of university students has doubled in two decades, women in parliament are twice as many as in 1990 and installed solar power has doubled in four years,” he continued. “Let us not accept the beginning of a new era of violence and war as inevitable. Let us commit to a renewed multilateralism, with creativity, audacity and ambition, which allows us to leave a better future for our children,” he added. <span class="jCAhz ChMk0b"><span class="ryNqvb">During his speech, the President of the Government stressed the need to promote the sustainable development agenda, and announced that Spain's goal is to increase its contribution to the United Nations system by at least 25% by 2025-2027.</span></span> <span class="jCAhz ChMk0b"><span class="ryNqvb">Also, and in relation to the conflict in Ukraine, Pedro Sánchez announced that Spain will increase humanitarian and demining funding to 14 million euros, and that the AECID will incorporate a specific line of work on its recovery and reconstruction in 2025.</span></span> Pedro Sánchez dedicated a good part of his speech to the Middle East, where, “for almost a year now, we have witnessed a spiral of violence and devastation that is already extending, unfortunately, to Lebanon.” “I want to make a new call for de-escalation, détente and the diplomatic route,” he proclaimed. “International law must be respected, not only by ending the war in Gaza,” but also by “addressing the causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” so that “the remaining hotbeds of instability in that region can be successfully resolved,” she added. <h5><strong>Albares’ day</strong></h5> Meanwhile, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, held several bilateral meetings and concluded the day with his participation in the meeting of the Feminist Foreign Policy Group and in the ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends of the Victims of Terrorism. Specifically, the minister met with his counterpart from Oman, Badr Albusaidi, with whom he discussed “the worrying situation in the Middle East” and praised his country’s mediating role, according to information provided by the X network. Later, he met with the Commissioner General of the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, to whom he reiterated Spain’s commitment to his work, “vital for six million Palestinian refugees in these difficult times in the Middle East.” The next meeting was with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea, Kang Kyung-hwa, with whom he agreed to “deepen political dialogue, promote cultural relations with the opening of a Cervantes Institute next year, and strengthen economic relations.” Albares also met with the General Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, to whom he conveyed Spain's support for his work "against impunity" and in favour of "accountability and reparation for victims" and recalled that, last year, the Government allocated "six million euros" to this institution.
