Prime Minister's Office of Spain

09/23/2026 | Press release | Archived content

Pedro Sánchez: 'Feminism is one of the main forces for change and progress the world has ever known, and it is high time it guided this institution'

Pedro Sánchez: "Feminism is one of the main forces for change and progress the world has ever known, and it is high time it guided this institution"

President's News - 2026.9.23

The President of the Government of Spain has emphasised the need to reform the Security Council so that all regions are fairly represented and to put an end to the permanent members' right of veto.

United Nations Headquarters, New York (United States)

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, displays the Charter of the United Nations during his speech (Pool Moncloa/ Borja Puig de la Bellacasa)

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The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, addressed the United Nations General Assembly with a speech in which he reaffirmed the principles and aspirations that inspired the creation of that organisation. Pedro Sánchez acknowledged that the rise of feminism can transform the world and that the time has come for "its strength to guide this institution".

The head of the Executive recalled that the United Nations was founded on the promise that all human beings would have a place in this organisation. And in that spirit, he called for a Latin American woman to assume the next leadership of the United Nations. This is a historical debt that must be settled, "today, more than ever, when feminism is under attack and thousands of women are victims of sexism, violence and xenophobia".

In his speech, Pedro Sánchez mentioned that, since he first addressed this Assembly eight years ago, when the 2030 Agenda was adopted, the world has changed and, in some respects, "for the worse". He pointed out that, whilst at the time they considered that "peace, sustainability and equality are not ideological positions", today those ideas "are under attack from political actors and governments who want to drag us back to a bleak past".

"There's no need to point them out. We all know who they are and what their modus operandi is", he said, adding that they first challenge the rules and then break them without anyone holding them to account. Some, he has claimed, cut their contributions to multilateral organisations such as the UN, criticise their leaders and staff, hamper their ability to act, and then describe them as "useless organisations that we can do without".

In the face of these developments, Pedro Sánchez highlighted the work of many governments that remain committed to cooperation, social justice and environmental sustainability, as well as scientific progress and the commitment of those who continue to campaign "in defence of nature, peace and civil rights".

In this regard, President Sánchez emphasised that "multilateralism is the best tool humanity has for managing its diversity and interdependence, particularly in today's globalised and multipolar world".

The reform of multilateral organisations

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly | Pool Moncloa/ Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

To tackle the challenges of today's world, he proposed reforming the Security Council, with the aim of ensuring that all regions of the world have "fair representation" and of abolishing the permanent members' right of veto. He emphasised that "no country should be both judge and party, however powerful it may be".

He also argued for the need to "strengthen the other main bodies and reorganise the agencies, funds and programmes, providing them with more resources and executive capacity", including the International Criminal Court. He also called for the reconstruction of the nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament framework to prevent a new world war, and emphasised the importance of "imposing strict regulation on the techno-oligarchs to control the operation of social media and the development of artificial intelligence".

Spain's position

With regard to Spain's position, Pedro Sánchez emphasised the country's opposition to all wars and its defence of international law, through measures such as sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine or the imposition of an arms embargo on Israel over the genocide in Gaza. He also emphasised that "Spain has doubled its investment in development co-operation and has increased its contribution to the multilateral system by no less than 60 per cent".

Finally, the Spanish President argued that even in the face of adversity, such as the situation in Ceuta, Spain and Ceuta's society remain true to their principles and values, without "giving in to fear, treating migrants as enemies or flouting the law". In this regard, he stated that Spain and Ceuta will emerge from this crisis stronger, because "they do not choose the easiest path. They choose the fairest path."

Non official translation

Prime Minister's Office of Spain published this content on September 23, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 25, 2026 at 07:56 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]