"Francisco de Vitoria and the Inception of the Principles of the United Nations: His Legacy Today"

Ambassador Menéndez Pérez,
Ambassador Chavez Basagoitia,
Father Cadoré,
Father Deeb,
Professor Martín y Pérez de Nanclares,
Professor Esteban de Vega,
Ms. Awais,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

In October 1936, as a brutal civil war consumed Spain, one of its most celebrated artists unveiled in this room a masterpiece: his homage to one of the great intellectual legacies of his homeland. José María Sert’s monumental work, which surrounds us this evening, culminates in this painted ceiling, whose five giants – representing the five continents – link arms in peace, equality and solidarity. Entitled the “Lesson of Salamanca”, this painting celebrates a group of scholars who dared in the 16th century to claim that natural rights apply to all of humanity, regardless of differences of faith or origin. In this “School of Salamanca”, one thinker stood head and shoulders above his peers: the Dominican brother Francisco de Vitoria, seen lecturing from atop a sphere in Sert’s painting.

Vitoria imagined a system of global governance anchored in universal rights, thoughts that would eventually lead to the United Nations and its Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Vitoria’s vision not only challenged the conventions of his time, but remained all too relevant for succeeding generations, including our own. Vitoria defended the aboriginal peoples of the Western Hemisphere from slavery and colonialism by pointing out that they too benefited from the same rights to life and property. In a break with contemporaries like Machiavelli, Vitoria held that state power is subject to moral authority and that the free movement of people, goods and ideas fosters peace and mutual understanding.

Nearly 500 years after Vitoria’s death, his hopes for humanity are still illusory. In recent years, murderous conflicts and political instability have killed hundreds of thousands and spurred millions to flee. In response, too many leaders have closed borders and stirred up fear of the other. In 2016, at a time of record-breaking defence expenditures, the world faced a funding gap to care for the 96.6 million people in dire need of aid worldwide. In spite of these realities, Vitoria’s vision lives on. It lives on in the work of the United Nations and its partners to forge a safer and more sustainable future. It lives on in the work of peacekeepers, activists and volunteers around the world.

I would like to thank the Permanent Missions of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, the Philippines, and Spain as well as the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See, the Sovereign Order of Malta and the Dominicans for Justice and Peace for granting us this opportunity to revisit the works of Francisco de Vitoria. Nearly 500 years after his death, his call for global governance based on universal human rights remains as relevant – and urgent – as ever.

Thank you.