Pedro Sánchez defends multilateral order and Ceuta policy at UN assembly

Address to the General Assembly

Pedro Sánchez addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday night, focusing his speech on the defense of multilateralism and international institutions. The Spanish prime minister, marking eight years since his first appearance before the assembly, argued that reactionary political forces have gained ground across several nations to dismantle global cooperation. Without directly naming United States President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, or Russian President Vladimir Putin, Sánchez condemned leaders who view international affairs as a zero-sum game, disregard climate science, and launch unlawful military conflicts. He stated that Spain will not step back from defending the core principles established when the United Nations was founded 81 years ago.

I come to this podium with a single goal: to defend what many are trying to destroy.

Response to the Ceuta migration crisis

Sánchez used his address to defend his administration's handling of irregular border crossings in Ceuta, where around 80,000 people crossed into the autonomous city on 30 July. In remarks broadcast on CNN, the prime minister noted that Moroccan border systems had failed during the incident, prompting active inquiries between Madrid and Rabat to evaluate the response. Speaking before international delegates, Sánchez rejected hardline border rhetoric, stating that democratic governments should not view migrants as adversaries or violate international human rights standards. He emphasized that maintaining legal procedures and human dignity remains the only sustainable response to displacement.

In Ceuta, inequality, despair, and misinformation have fueled one of the largest irregular migration crises in recent years. I know that in moments like these, the temptation is to take the shortcut. To yield to fear, turn the migrant into an enemy, and break the law. But Spain will not do that. Nor will Ceuta.

Diplomatic meetings and UN reform proposals

Outside the main assembly hall, Sánchez conducted a series of bilateral discussions with United States officials, meeting with California Governor Gavin Newsom and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He chose not to attend Donald Trump's evening reception for visiting world leaders, telling reporters that constructive cooperation with Washington does not depend on staged photographs. During his assembly speech, Sánchez also outlined concrete proposals for reforming United Nations operations, calling for adjustments to the Security Council and international rules governing artificial intelligence. He also expressed formal support for selecting a woman from Latin America to succeed António Guterres as UN Secretary-General.

Criticism of unilateral policies and international aid

During a conversation on the podcast The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart, Sánchez criticized Donald Trump's opening address to the assembly as heavily ideological and unsupported by data, pointing to Trump's rhetoric on Iran and dismissal of global warming. Sánchez reported that global development funding decreased by nearly one third over a two-year span, contrasting that trend with Spain doubling its cooperation budget and increasing contributions to multilateral bodies by 60%. While present in the assembly chamber, Sánchez also held a brief greeting with Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed leadership in January after United States forces detained Nicolás Maduro, and confirmed her invitation to the November Ibero-American Summit in Madrid.