Secretary-General, Addressing Ibero-American Summit, Highlights Its Role in Championing Culture as Global Public Good, Urges More Arts, Humanities in Education

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ address to the thirtieth Ibero-American Summit, in Madrid today:

Let me begin by sharing in your grief over the Urda rail tragedy.  My deepest condolences to the families of all the victims — in Spain and beyond.

I would like to thank His Majesty the King, the Government and the people of Spain for their hospitality.  I want to speak to you about the strength that underpins this community, as a former participant of these conferences.

It lives in our languages, stories, traditions and beliefs. It gives us roots and belonging.  I am talking about culture:  a fundamental right — and the fabric of the human family. Ibero-America is not a military or economic superpower, but it is a cultural superpower.

Our particular cultures intertwine Indigenous, African and European heritage — amid encounters and historical wounds.  That diversity enriches every nation: It reminds us that loving our own does not require fearing others.

Thirty-five years ago, in Guadalajara, that richness became political will:  to build this community together.  Twenty years ago, in Montevideo, the Ibero-American Cultural Charter enshrined cultural rights.  This thirtieth Summit renews it, looking “towards the future and towards the world”. The world needs your experience:  unity without uniformity.

The Charter of the United Nations commits us to “live together in peace with one another as good neighbours”.  An agreement can silence the guns.  The hardest part remains reconciling with yesterday’s adversary.  Culture carries the memory of pain — without perpetuating hatred.

Here, in Madrid, Guernica cries out against the absurdity of war.  Picasso painted no victors.  In New York, its tapestry guards the Security Council Chamber, reminding us of what is at stake.  Guernica was called “the last exile”.  It did not arrive in Spain until 1981, after democracy had been restored.

Each side of the Atlantic has welcomed those fleeing the other. Today, millions of refugees and migrants carry with them their languages, their songs, their memories.  To welcome them with dignity is to honour that tradition.

Culture is inseparable from the dignity of every person. Yet, the right to culture — recognized by the Universal Declaration — remains marginalized.  This community champions culture as a global public good.

We can all agree on this: on caring for public squares, theatres, libraries, which strengthen communities; on the freedom of artists — especially when they make us uncomfortable; on artificial intelligence (AI) that speaks with all our voices — without a handful of companies deciding what we see, read and believe.

The more capable machines become, the more we will need what makes us human.  Culture teaches us to doubt, to qualify our views, to see nuance, to question and to put ourselves in other people’s shoes.  Let us cultivate critical thinking – through more arts and humanities in education.

Twenty-eight years ago, I hosted this Summit in Porto.  Ten years ago, in Cartagena, I attended my first international meeting as Secretary-General-designate.  Today, I bid the Summit farewell.  Thank you for your friendship and support during my term in office.

Let me conclude with a memory.  Shortly after midnight on 25 April 1974, a radio station in my country played the song “Grândola, Vila Morena”.  That was the signal:  the Carnation Revolution was under way.  I was 24 years old.  I have never forgotten it:  a song can pave the way to freedom.

We speak many languages.  We sing different songs.  But, they all tell the same story:  That of a shared humanity.  That is the power of culture: it helps us recognize [that] humanity in others — even in yesterday’s adversary.  That is where peace begins.