The 4th Summit for Democracy Defense, where liberal leaders from around the world gathered to discuss concrete measures to protect democracy, was held on April 18, 2026, in Barcelona, Spain. At a time when the United States and Israel are continuing actions that ignore international law, such as airstrikes on Iran, the summit served as an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of multilateral cooperation.

Leaders from 22 countries, including those in Central and South America and South Africa, participated. The summit, launched at the initiative of Spain and Brazil, aimed to exchange views on how to counter “extremism, polarization, and disinformation” that threaten democracy. It was previously held twice at the United Nations and in 2025 it was held in Santiago, Chile.

At the opening ceremony, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, leader of the host nation, warned that the normalization of the use of force and the disregard for international law pose a serious threat to global stability. Calling on people to “climb out the window and take to the streets,” he urged an end to passive spectatorship and the taking of direct action.

Before the summit opened, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told a Spanish newspaper that “this is not going to be an anti-Trump meeting,” as he stated.

However, Lula and Sánchez have voiced opposition to many of former President Trump’s policies, starting with the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has accused Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), arguing that the Israeli military’s attacks on Gaza amount to genocide (the mass killing of a group).

In addition to Sánchez and Lula, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum joined them in issuing a joint statement immediately after the summit, calling for an “expansion of humanitarian aid” to Cuba. Due to economic sanctions imposed by the Trump administration, Cuba continues to face a severe fuel shortage. The statement stressed that “we strongly call for the avoidance of actions that worsen living conditions for the population or that violate international law.”

Learn more about changes in the world order → “An Unequal World and Japanese Media”

Group photo at the “Summit for Democracy Defense” (Photo: Lula Oficial / Flickr [CC BY-SA 4.0])