Walking the talk: How Spain is building an economy that works for people

In this episode, we welcome Pablo Bustinduy, Spain’s Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs, and the 2030 Agenda, for a conversation on the responsibility of democratic governments to advance social policy through both legislation and economic strategy. Drawing on recent reforms in Spain, Minister Bustinduy discusses how embedding human rights principles and the UN 2030 Agenda into fiscal and economic policy is essential to building a modern welfare state fit for the 21st century. 

The discussion explores why wealthy democracies cannot allow poverty and social exclusion to persist, and why leaving welfare to market forces alone is a political and economic mistake. Minister Bustinduy argues for a rights-based approach to economic governance—one that recognizes workers and their labor, paid and unpaid, as the foundation of society and treats redistribution not only as a matter of justice, but as an economic necessity. This episode offers key insights for anyone interested in fomenting a fairer and more equal society. 

If you’d like to learn more about the Human Rights Economy, the work of OHCHR or UNSSC, check this link.