Global South Leaders Counter Fascism in Spanish Progressive Summit
During the meeting, participants emphasized that the top priority is to rebuild multilateralism and restore the usefulness of international law. Photo: X/@globalsivemobilisation.
April 17, 2026 Hour: 5:56 pm
🔗 Comparte este artÃculo
An international progressive summit was inaugurated today in Spain, bringing together political movements from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America with the aim of founding a strategic alliance from the Global South to confront the rise of the far-right.
Participants emphasized the absolute priority of rebuilding multilateralism and restoring the utility of international law, tools considered indispensable for halting military aggressions and protecting the sovereignty of peoples against unilateral impositions.
During the gathering in Barcelona, attendees underscored the critical need to strengthen global governance mechanisms, asserting that a revitalized multilateralism and effective international law are the bedrock for addressing contemporary global challenges.
This approach is seen as crucial for preventing conflicts and ensuring that nations can assert their independence in an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.
The Latin American delegation is leading the debate, with the prominent presence of Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who, alongside representatives from Uruguay and Ecuador, have proposed that the next forum be held in the region.
Their advocacy for a regional gathering highlights the growing influence and collective voice of the Global South in shaping international progressive discourse and action. This move is designed to ensure that the perspectives and challenges of Latin America are central to the global progressive agenda.
Argentinean Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof, articulated the necessity of organizing a solid alternative to the policies of Javier Milei‘s Government, reflecting the immediate domestic pressures faced by progressive forces in the region.
In the context of this pivotal day, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Spanish Government’s President Pedro Sánchez held a bilateral meeting -the first Spain-Brazil summit- where they reaffirmed the importance of international organizations as spaces for open negotiation. Both leaders concurred that multilateral forums should not be empty structures but rather instruments of direct action to resolve global crises. Their joint statement reinforces the summit’s overarching theme: the urgent need for tangible, collaborative solutions to pressing global issues, from economic inequality to climate change.
The strong presence of the Global South at the summit reaffirms that the unity of popular forces is the only path to guarantee social transformation that transcends continental borders. This collective stance emphasizes that isolated national efforts are insufficient to counter the global rise of conservative and far-right movements.
This initiative is expected to mark a historic milestone in consolidating a political alternative against the advance of conservative and far-right forces, aiming to bring visibility to solutions that ensure social justice and the defense of democracy through the union of diverse regions and generations.
Over two days, thinkers, activists and party representatives from all continents will coordinate actions to confront the global challenges of our time, seeking to convert conviction into tangible results.
This unified front aims to leverage collective strengths and diverse perspectives to formulate effective strategies against common adversaries, ensuring that progressive ideals translate into concrete policy and societal change.
The summit, which will extend its deliberations until Saturday, April 18, seeks to lay the groundwork for a historic pact that unifies progressive parties in the defense of participatory and humanist democracy.
Author: Laura V. Mor
Source: Global Progressive Mobilisation / Agencies
