Connolly at Barcelona Summit: Defending Democracy

0:00On April 18, President Catherine Connolly is off on her first overseas trip today, heading to Spain for a big summit in Barcelona called the Defense of Democracy Forum. She's joining center-level leaders from around the world to talk about protecting democratic values and pushing back against threats to global cooperation. This event is part of a two-day global progressive mobilization that started yesterday, wrapping up today with speeches aimed at turning shared ideas. Into real action, attendees include Brazil's President Louise Inatio Lula de Silva, Colombia's Gustavo Petro, and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, all gathering to. Coordinate on issues like multilateralism, Connolly has been vocal lately about avoiding the normalization of war and sticking to international law, which lines up with the group's critical. View of aggressive foreign policies, especially from the U.S. under Donald Trump. Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, whose hosting has openly pushed back against those

1:03approaches, like refusing to let bases be used for strikes, on Iran. During the summit, Connolly plans bilateral meetings with other leaders, and she'll speak on Ireland's unique neutral stance as a post-colonial nation, ready to help build lasting peace. She's honored to be there, praising the host for putting democracy first. Afterwards, she'll join the Irish community in Barcelona for a reception hosted by the ambassador. This trip also follows her move to call the Council of State to review a new migration bill tied to EU rules amid some human rights concerns. Connolly stepping up on the world stage at a pivotal time.