Speech by President of the Government at ceremony to commemorate 70th anniversary of entry into force of United Nations Charter and 60th anniversary of Spain joining the UN

Madrid

Your Majesties, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mrs. Ban Ki-moon, public officials, ladies and gentlemen,

Saturday, 24 October was the 70th anniversary of the entry into force of the San Francisco Charter. On Friday evening, the United Nations held a session of the General Assembly to celebrate this anniversary at its headquarters in New York. Upon an initiative from Spain, the 193 Member States adopted, by consensus, a declaration renewing our comprehensive acceptance of the charter.

As with all founding charters, the San Francisco Charter is based on certain pillars that this declaration reaffirms and underpins. They are its values, its aims and its principles. These principles include sovereign equality among all States, the peaceful resolution of conflicts and non-interference in internal affairs

These are all fundamental, but today I wish to highlight one principle in particular, which is the keystone of everything else: I am referring to the territorial integrity of States.

Without respect for this integrity, the international system will fall apart. The worst disasters of the 20th Century and the most destabilising conflicts of the 21st Century have had and still have their origin in the violation of this principle, or at least it featured as an aggravating factor.

It is not by chance that all legal, reasonable and lasting solutions to these conflicts always involve, wherever this may take place, reaffirming the territorial integrity of those States subject to internal destabilisation or to external interference. We are all aware that both the founding charter and the legal acquis of the United Nations "are very clear in this respect and only admit certain exceptions, such as colonies, territories occupied by force and territories where human rights and fundamental freedoms are not respected.

And let me be very clear on this issue. Those who undermine or ignore the rules that govern coexistence in democratic States and the rule of law are also in breach of the basic principles enshrined in the charter and on which coexistence between nations is based. They cannot aspire to be admitted to an international community governed by law. The international community will not welcome them. Those who seek to do so in their dreams can abandon all hope.

Your Majesties, Secretary-General,

Spain joined the family of the United Nations on 14 December 60 years ago. In the six decades that have passed, we have become a nation firmly committed to "strengthening peaceful relations and effective cooperation between all the people on Earth" (textual quote). That is what is stated in the Preamble to our 1978 Constitution approved by referendum of the Spanish people, in whom national sovereignty resides. The Spanish Constitution and hence the legality that emanates therefrom is firmly committed to the international legal system. Things cannot be any other way. That is why, those who do not respect the Spanish Constitution must be aware that they are also attacking the same legal foundations of the international community.

Your Majesties, Secretary-General of the United Nations,

Spain has become a benchmark nation in terms of the three fundamental pillars of the UN: peace, human rights and development. Things cannot be any other way. International society requires us to tackle the major challenges and threats of the 21st Century together. Anything else would mean going against reason, the sense of history and in breach of the very United Nations Charter that calls us here today.

We are a leading player in preventing conflicts and in peacekeeping. More than 140,000 members of the armed forces and the State law enforcement agencies have taken part in more than 50 peacekeeping operations and humanitarian aid missions in all the regions of the world. 167 of them have laid down their lives in this effort and I would like to pay my heartfelt tribute to them from this stage today.

We actively contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights. We are particularly active in promoting gender equality, and we defend tooth and nail, inter alia, the abolition of the death penalty, the rights of persons with disabilities and recognising the victims of terrorism whose voice, just last week, as we were reminded of here earlier, was heard at the Security Council.

We are concerned with preserving our planet and we are supportive of the most needy. We are firmly committed to the 2030 Agenda that the United Nations General Assembly approved on 25 September and we trust that the upcoming Climate Change Summit to be held in Paris will be a success.

Your Majesties, Secretary-General,

Spain, a nation with deep-seated historical roots, but young in spirit, aspires to humbly but decisively contribute to a freer, more prosperous and fairer world. We believe in people and that is why we work enthusiastically each day to improve their well-being.

I thank you, Secretary-General, for coming here today on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Spain joining the United Nations. I salute your leadership. I reiterate that you can continue to count on Spain in pushing through the priorities of your agenda at the head of the UN, which are also our priorities, and my best wishes for a long life to the United Nations.

Thank you very much.