The UN Secretary General receives the 'Carlos V European Award'

USPA NEWS - The King of Spain, Felipe VI, Honorary President of the Yuste Foundation, presented this Tuesday the 'Carlos V European Award' to António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, for "his accredited, extensive and long career dedicated to the social commitment, the process of European construction, the promotion of multilateralism and human dignity as the core of its work, addressing global challenges and crises."

Felipe VI presented the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, with the 'Carlos V European Award', which is awarded by the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation and which recognizes his extensive and long life trajectory dedicated to social commitment. The King was received upon his arrival at the Monastery of Yuste by the president of the regional government of Extremadura and president of the Board of Trustees of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation, Guillermo Fernández Vara; the Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa; the president of the General Council of the Judiciary, Rafael Mozo; the Spanish Defense Minister, Margarita Robles; and the Ibero-American Secretary General, Andrés Allamand, among other authorities.

Next, the King entered the church to take his place at the presidential table. Then the journalist Carmen Romero, who acted as master of ceremonies, welcomed and announced the entry of the winner. After the intervention of the President of the regional government of Extremadura and president of the Board of Trustees of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation, the attendees were able to enjoy musical performances by the Extremadura orchestra and the projection of an audiovisual about the winner, the King presented the 'Carlos V European Award' to the Secretary General of the United Nations, who thanked him with a few words.

King Felipe VI highlighted that "today the excellent list of winners is joined by António Guterres, a man who, through moderation and good sense, has always been at the service of the best values to try to reach consensus. A physical engineer who would arrive to become PM of Portugal and whose commitment to the most disadvantaged, to the most vulnerable, has been a constant in his extensive career."

Likewise, he stressed that "during 10 very difficult years he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, facing situations of extreme complexity. As Secretary General of the UN —already in his 2nd term— he continues to remind us, rightly, that the problems global issues of all kinds can only be solved through multilateralism and cooperation; approaches that, as he himself defends, are not an option, but a necessity."

After the intervention of Felipe VI, the European Anthem was interpreted, by the quartet of the Extremadura Orchestra. Immediately afterwards, the King signed, together with the winner, in the book of honor of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation, and then a group photograph was taken. Outside, Felipe VI went to the area where the 'Olivo de la Paz de Yuste' is located, where he spoke with the attending ambassadors.

This is the third time that the 'Carlos V European Award' has gone to a Portuguese politician. On the two previous occasions, the winners were José Manuel Durão Barroso (2014) and Jorge Fernando Branco de Sampaio (2004). The jury of the XVI edition of the 'Carlos V European Award' highlighted Guterres' work at the head of the international organization by promoting "actions to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, to address the climate emergency and achieve ambitious reforms with which to face the challenges of the 21st century."

In this sense, the jury emphasized the determination shown by the Secretary General of the United Nations to fight climate change by promoting "sustainable development and placing the 2030 Agenda as the global roadmap centered on people and the planet."