President Claudia Sheinbaum used her address at a gathering of progressive leaders in Barcelona to propose that 10% of global spending on armaments be redirected to a reforestation program, speak out against any possible military intervention in Cuba and promote Mexico’s foreign policy principles.
After traveling to the Catalan capital on a commercial flight, Sheinbaum spoke for just under 10 minutes at the “In Defense of Democracy” summit, hosted by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and attended by the leaders of various countries, including Brazil, Colombia and South Africa.
During her address, the president proposed that “10% of global spending on armaments” be redirected to a “global program” that would allow “millions of people” to reforest “millions of hectares” of land per year. She is seemingly advocating a global initiative similar to the “Sowing Life” scheme introduced in Mexico during the 2018-24 presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Sheinbaum made a similar proposal at the G20 Summit in Brazil in late 2024, calling for the establishment of “a fund that allocates 1% of the military expenditure of … [G20] countries to carry out the biggest reforestation program in history.”
In Barcelona on Saturday, she declared: “Instead of sowing war, let’s sow peace, let’s sow life.”
In a message clearly directed to the United States, Sheinbaum also proposed “a declaration against military intervention in Cuba,” a country currently experiencing a humanitarian crisis that has been exacerbated by a virtual U.S. blockade on oil shipments to the Caribbean island nation.
“Let dialogue and peace prevail,” the president said.
The governments of Brazil, Spain and Mexico subsequently issued a statement addressing what they called “the dire situation facing the Cuban people.”
In the statement, the three governments expressed their “deep concern over the serious humanitarian crisis facing the Cuban people” and called for “the adoption of the measures necessary to alleviate this situation.”
They also reiterated “the need to respect international law at all times,” including “the principles of territorial integrity, sovereign equality and peaceful settlement of disputes,” and reaffirmed their “unwavering commitment to human rights, democratic value, and multilateralism.”
“… The goal must be to find a lasting solution to the current situation and to ensure that the Cuban people themselves decide their future in full freedom,” the three governments said.
In her address, Sheinbaum — a leading defender of Cuba — also promoted Mexico’s constitutionally-enshrined foreign policy principles, including respect for people’s right to self-determination, advocacy of the peaceful resolution of conflicts and “rejection” of the use of force.
‘I am a woman of peace and I represent a nation that loves freedom’
Sheinbaum told her fellow leaders and other officials that she was attending the In Defense of Democracy summit on behalf of the “hardworking, creative, brave” and “deeply generous” people of Mexico.
“I come from a people who recognize their origins in the great Indigenous cultures — those that were silenced, enslaved, and plundered, but never defeated,” she said, making a particularly poignant point in the country that, in the 16th century, conquered the land now known as Mexico.
“… I come from the Pyramid of the Sun, from Tláloc, Huitzilopochtli and Coatlicue,” Sheinbaum said, mentioning three Mexica deities.
Les comparto mi intervención en la IV Cumbre en Defensa de la Democracia. pic.twitter.com/0BdcyQgMBy
— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) April 18, 2026
In her address, the president also cited the legacy of various heroes of Mexico’s rich history, and even declared that she had come to the summit “recognizing the bravery of Frida Kahlo.”
“… I am a woman of peace,” Sheinbaum said in her closing remarks. “And I represent a nation that loves freedom, justice and fraternity, and understands democracy as the great Benito Juárez would say: ‘With the people, everything [can be achieved]; without the people, nothing.’”
Sheinbaum offered to host another In Defense of Democracy summit in Mexico next year.
“We can speak about the well-being-focused economy and about democracy that responds to the true needs of people,” she said.
Reuters described Saturday’s summit as “a gathering of global leftist leaders to mobilize advocates of these movements against the far right.”
Sheinbaum meets Sánchez, declares there is no ‘diplomatic crisis’ with Spain
Sheinbaum also met one-on-one with Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez. She is the first Mexican president to visit Spain in eight years.
In 2022, Sheinbaum’s predecessor, López Obrador (AMLO), advocated a “pause” in relations between Mexico and Spain, but later clarified that he was referring to a “respectful protest” rather than a diplomatic “rupture.”
In 2019, AMLO called for the king of Spain to apologize for the conquest of Mexico, but the Spanish government “vigorously” rejected the request. As president, he also railed against Spanish energy companies such as Iberdrola and Repsol, accusing them of abusive business practices in Mexico.
Sheinbaum has also called for an apology for abuses committed by Spain during the conquest and the fall of Tenochtitlán, but in Barcelona on Saturday, she acknowledged that “there has already been a rapprochement from both the Spanish … [prime minister] and the king himself.”
In March, King Felipe VI acknowledged that during the Spanish conquest and colonization of America, “there were significant abuses” and “moral and ethical controversies.”
“There are things that, when we study them, in our judgment, with our current values, obviously cannot make us proud,” King Felipe said. He was the first Spanish monarch to make such a statement.
At a press conference on Saturday, Sheinbaum was asked whether her visit to Spain meant that “the diplomatic crisis” between Mexico and the European nation was over.
“There is no diplomatic crisis, there never has been,” she responded.
“What is very important is that we recognize the strength of the Indigenous peoples for our homeland,” Sheinbaum added.
According to Reuters, Spain’s economy minister, Carlos Cuerpo, told reporters at Saturday’s summit in Barcelona that “Sheinbaum’s presence here is a very important and positive sign of a rapprochement between the two countries.”
Sheinbaum documents trip on social media
Sheinbaum documented her trip to Barcelona — her sixth international trip as president — via her social media accounts.
Among her posts is one in which she is seen working in an economy class seat on her flight to Barcelona.
Iniciando la IV Cumbre en Defensa de la Democracia. pic.twitter.com/EwfsPhV1ba
— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) April 18, 2026
Sheinbaum also posted a video of her flight and encounters with Mexicans in Barcelona, a photo in which she appears with the presidents of Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay, and footage of her meeting with Mexican residents of Spain at the Mexican Consulate in the Catalan capital.
In addition, she noted that she met Catalan musician Joan Manuel Serrat, who she called a “symbol of music and resistance,” and posted a video from her visit to the Barcelona Supercomputing Center.
“I visited the National Supercomputing Center in Barcelona, with whom we’re collaborating for the Coatlicue project, the Mexican supercomputer,” she wrote in the post.
Mexico News Daily
