King Felipe VI champions the “tireless defense” of democracy in Latin America against “authoritarian tendencies”

The Diplomat King Felipe VI championed on Wednesday the “tireless and shared defense of freedom, human rights, the rule of law, and democracy” in Latin America as “the best guarantee against authoritarian tendencies.” The Monarch made these remarks at the University of Alcalá (Madrid) during the presentation of the 10th King of Spain Human Rights Award, organized by the Ombudsman and the University of Alcalá, which this year was awarded to the Museum of Memory and Human Rights of Chile. The event was attended by, among others, the President of the Senate, Pedro Rollán; the Minister of Finance, Arcadi España; and the Ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo. The Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, Fernando Martínez; the Secretary of State for Ibero-America and the Caribbean and Spanish in the World, Susana Sumelzo; and representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Spain were present. The King presented the award to the Executive Director of the Museum of Memory and Human Rights of Chile, María Fernanda García Iribarren. The King then spoke, stating that Ibero-America is “a region that has much to say and do, in a more coordinated and fraternal way.” “I say this with some authority: on more than one hundred occasions throughout my life I have visited the countries that give meaning and heart to a project with ancient roots, but a very contemporary reality, and above all, with a future potential that is still undervalued and waiting to be realized,” he continued. “In this rich and diverse space, the Ibero-American Community of Nations, we also have a long and shared history and memory, a memory whose synthesis is, and must continue to be, ultimately, along with the affirmation of our common identity—respectful of and indebted to that of each nation—the tireless and shared defense of Freedom, Human Rights, the Rule of Law, and Democracy,” he affirmed. “We must always and at all costs protect the dignity of the individual, which is embodied in the exercise of their rights and freedoms and is founded on our democratic laws, institutions, and constitutions,” he warned. “This is our best guarantee against authoritarian tendencies,” he added. “Our community, with two shared languages as powerful as Spanish and Portuguese, must speak to the world, increasingly, with a stronger and more unified voice on issues such as major global challenges, from sustainability to social cohesion, within a framework of profound transformations, and in so many other areas where we Ibero-Americans can contribute our vision for the future,” the Monarch continued. “This November, we will welcome to Madrid the highest representatives of the Ibero-American nations to celebrate together the 30th Summit, 35 years after the first one, which took place in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1991,” the King recalled. “The path traveled to this day not only represents a great joint effort by all of them, mindful of our history and in pursuit of the common good, but is also, for that very reason, a great example to offer the world; especially if we are able to give it continuity and successful projection with this new meeting,” he stated. Finally, the King recalled that the award-winning museum houses “a fragment of the shared history between Spain and Chile thanks to a joint project launched with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) in January of this year.” “I am referring to the story of the more than 2,000 Spanish exiles who arrived in Valparaíso after the Civil War aboard the ship ‘Winnipeg,’” he continued. “Among them were many children, some of whom, like the painter José Balmes and the actress Montserrat Julió, became part of the cultural history that unites and enriches our two nations,” he emphasized. The Prize and the Museum of Memory The King of Spain Human Rights Prize recognizes the work of entities and institutions in Spain, Portugal, and Ibero-American countries that distinguish themselves through their defense and promotion of human rights and democratic values, as well as through their promotion of research and the implementation of programs aimed at disseminating this knowledge. The Museum of Memory and Human Rights of Chile, based in Santiago, has as its main mission to bring visibility to the systematic human rights violations committed in the country between 1973 and 1990. Its activities combine the preservation of documentary and testimonial archives with outstanding educational and research work, aimed at fostering critical reflection and promoting human dignity and democratic coexistence. The jury valued the intense activity of this institution, founded in 2010, as a guarantee for the future of democracy and human rights, also highlighting its contribution to consolidating these values in the Ibero-American and international spheres.

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