Preventive diplomacy consists of all those measures designed to prevent existing disputes from escalating into conflicts and, if they do occur, to prevent them from spreading.
Conflict prevention at the United Nations
Prevention addresses the causes that give rise to the conflict from a perspective that integrates the three pillars of the United Nations: peace and security, human rights and inclusive development. In 2015, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presented a report entitled “The United Nations and Conflict Prevention: Renewing Collective Commitment
.” In this document, he stressed the need to evolve from a traditional culture of reaction to an essential culture of prevention. His successor, António Guterres, continued the legacy of Ban Ki-Moon, making prevention culture one of the main priorities of his term of office.
Spain and the commitment to preventive diplomacy
Spain supported this commitment from the outset, and the need for the international community to strengthen the use of preventive tools and to take into account the involvement of other local actors and promote intercultural and interreligious dialogue.
The prevention of conflicts is still a fundamental axis of Spanish foreign policy today. Spain believes that the use of preventive diplomacy, integrating sustainable development, peace, governance, human rights and the rule of law, must be mandatory Spain also emphasised the preventive dimension of the responsibility to protect within the UN framework, and is a member of the UN Group of Friends of Mediation. Preventive diplomacy is an integral part of the Spain's Humanitarian Diplomacy Strategy adopted in 2023.
The Alliance of Civilisations as a tool for dialogue and peace
Spain is aligned with the Alliance of Civilisations, a United Nations initiative co-sponsored by Spain and Turkey, which aims to foster dialogue and cooperation between different communities, cultures and civilisations. Through intercultural dialogue, it develops a series of concrete actions aimed at conflict prevention, mediation, conflict resolution and peace building.
Peace mediation within the framework of the European Union
Spain co-chairs with Finland the Group of Friends of Mediation of the European Union, where it supports EU peace mediation and the work of its special envoys. In December 2023, within the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the EU, Spain co-organised with the EU a meeting in Madrid with internal mediators in conflicts in Africa, Latin America and Asia.
Women, peace and security in Spanish preventive diplomacy
Among our priorities in the field of preventive diplomacy is the implementation of national action plans on women, peace and security. They have included as an objective the meaningful participation of women in decision-making processes in relation to conflict prevention, management and resolution. Spain, together with other Ibero-American countries, has supported the establishment of an Ibero-American Network of Women Mediators, created at a meeting held in June 2023 in Madrid, with the objectives of training women and contributing to their work with a Committee of women experts.
Youth as agents of peace and conflict resolution
Violent conflicts have a high incidence among young people. Spain supports the inclusion of young people in peace initiatives, as they can play a role in conflict resolution and in the implementation of peace agreements.
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