Activities of Secretary-General in Spain, 7-9 May
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Madrid, Spain from Burundi on Sunday afternoon, 7 May.
On Monday, he met with the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón.
In the meeting, they discussed the war in Ukraine, as well as the situations in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Western Sahara. The Secretary-General briefed Mr. Sánchez Pérez-Castejón on the United Nations’ ongoing efforts to extend, expand and improve the Black Sea Initiative, as well as to remove remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food products and fertilizers.
They also discussed current challenges to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Secretary-General further briefed the President of the Government on United Nations initiatives related to the reforms of the international financial architecture.
The Secretary-General then travelled to Cuacos de Yuste, where in the evening he attended a dinner hosted by His Majesty the King of Spain, Felipe VI.
On Tuesday morning, 9 May, the Secretary-General received the Carlos V European Award at a ceremony at the Monastery of Yuste, presided over by the King of Spain, Felipe VI. In his remarks, the Secretary-General said that he was receiving the award also on behalf of the entire United Nations, and for that reason he felt even more proud.
The Secretary-General said that as we consider the complex legacy of Carlos V and the global nature of his empire, we can find inspiration to rediscover the universal values, principles and ideas that unite us as a human family. He noted that the United Nations, as well as the European Union, were created in the name of peace, after the horror of two world wars.
Mr. Guterres said that peace remains our North Star and our most precious goal, yet the struggle for peace may seem at times like a Sisyphean task. He emphasized that we must work to make peace and to keep it, every day, tirelessly. Instead of bullets, he added, we need diplomatic arsenals. (See Press Release SG/SM/21788.)
The Secretary-General travelled back to New York later in the day, 9 May.