Spain is a 'moral beacon' for global health amid attacks on WHO, says minister

Spain stands as a "moral beacon for the defense of multilateral organizations and global health," according to its Health Minister Mónica García. Speaking in Geneva, García asserted that Spain champions global health through cooperation and multilateralism, contrasting this with what she described as attacks on international bodies by governments such as those in Argentina and the United States.

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From Spain we lead and have long supported that global health needs multilateralism and cooperation, it needs international organizations that have been insulted, harassed and vilified by the administration of Donald Trump and the government of Javier Milei.

García specifically criticized the administrations of Donald Trump in the U.S. and Javier Milei in Argentina for what she termed insults, harassment, and vilification of international health organizations. She highlighted that despite these criticisms, both nations have recently benefited from the global health network, particularly during the hantavirus crisis.

"Curiously, Argentina and the United States have been two countries that have taken advantage of the efforts made by Spain and the WHO in the crisis," García told EFE news agency. She pointed out that these countries, despite their critiques, relied on international assistance, including efforts coordinated by Spain and the WHO, during the recent outbreak. The minister's remarks came as she prepared to participate in the WHO Executive Board meeting, to which Spain has been a member since 2025.

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Argentina, where the outbreak declared on the cruise ship MV Hondius may have originated, and the United States, a country from which many passengers on the ship came, have curiously been two countries that have taken advantage of the efforts made by Spain and the WHO in the crisis.

García emphasized the WHO's resilience and the necessity of a global health vision, particularly in light of recent crises like hantavirus and Ebola. She stated that the organization's recent assembly demonstrated its strength and the continued need for international collaboration in public health, even amidst challenges to international legal principles.

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In a moment of breakdown of basic principles and international legality, now the WHO has to recompose itself, but in its last assembly it has shown its strength and the need for a global vision of health.