We believe that local governments have a responsibility to inform and raise public awareness about situations of injustice and human rights violations. Given their close connection to the population, local administrations share the duty of promoting education that fosters a critical, informed citizenry. They play a key role in encouraging civic participation and enabling residents to assess local policies, compare them with those of other cities, and evaluate their overall coherence.
Thus, to advance the commitment adopted by all local governments with the Sustainable Development Goals, the 2030 Agenda, the progress and benefit of today's citizens and future generations, action must be taken both locally and globally. Protecting the human rights of all people and safeguarding the integrity of our planet. Human rights are relevant values and a useful framework to guide local policy coherently.
For this, the Department of Cooperation, Solidarity, Peace and Twinning of our municipality has a historical trajectory that dates back to 1985 with informal cooperation with the Mayor’s Office of Puerto Cabezas Bilwi, which was formalized through Twinning in 1987.
In 1997, the Municipal Council for Cooperation was created to support the projects and activities of Council members for development cooperation and solidarity with the peoples of the most disadvantaged countries. The municipal priorities in development cooperation stem from the new 2022–2026 Strategic Cooperation Plan (PDCI), approved by the Local Government Board in an Ordinary session held on December 13, 2022.
The Department of Cooperation, Solidarity, Peace and Twinning is divided into different areas of action: Within the framework of Education for Global Citizenship, awareness-raising and educational activities are carried out as outlined in the Strategic Plan through the Municipal Development Education Plan. This plan proposes various projects and activities related to awareness-raising on the situation of refugees, migration crises, racism, xenophobia, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and human rights. Notable actions include:
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The community service project "Education for Peace", which has been carried out in the secondary schools of Sant Pere de Ribes (since 2015)
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Awareness-raising about the twinning with Puerto Cabezas-Bilwi through urban art in community service projects by students from open centers
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2nd Solidarity and Cooperation Day of Sant Pere de Ribes to publicize the work of the cooperation entities within the Municipal Council for Cooperation
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Offering cooperation workshops for schools included in the Education Services Catalogue and carrying out awareness-raising actions in the municipality on education for global citizenship
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Endorsement of the 20J Campaign of the Catalan Fund for Cooperation: “Un món de Camps” about refugee camps
Other work lines of the department include Emergency Support and Humanitarian Aid and Solidarity Campaigns. Sant Pere de Ribes is a town committed to promoting human rights, equity, and economic, social, and environmental sustainability. For more than three decades, it has been twinned with the city of Puerto Cabezas-Bilwi (Nicaragua).
The three decades of relations have deepened our bond and led to numerous initiatives of exchange and cooperation between municipalities, organizations, and individuals promoting mutual understanding. We promote awareness and maintain the links and development cooperation projects we have supported for the twinned city of Puerto Cabezas-Bilwi over recent decades.
Our commitment to the campaign would primarily be to promote political commitment to the 2030 Agenda, as a space for sharing with other administrations in matters of Human Rights cooperation.
Our interest in joining the Campaign is to foster greater collaboration with citizens and emphasize the development of local policies based on human rights. The mission in our new Strategic Development Cooperation Plan 2022–2026 is: “We are a diverse and supportive city, with a long history in the field of development cooperation, with a twinning that reflects our commitment to global justice, equality, empathy with other territories and populations, and collective action. We work to transform injustices, inequalities, and violations of human rights through the promotion of development cooperation actions and Education for Global Citizenship (EGC) initiatives that foster the generation of critical thinking and the transmission of values of justice and equal opportunities among citizens.”
Our goal is to work in this direction to achieve sustainability and the SDGs, as well as our participation in the 2023 Human Rights Cities Defenders Project.
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Women, for having the G City 50-50 distinction, the Gender Equality Plan and the rights of the LGTBIQ+ Collective 2020–2025, incorporating the gender perspective in the development cooperation projects of the annual call for grants to organizations.
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Human rights-based approach – HRBA to promote policy coherence within the municipal administration. Awareness of migration processes and support in emergency campaigns for refugees and education for global citizenship.
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Municipal Development Education Plan with continued awareness-raising actions in education for global citizenship through the Education for Peace project, community service with secondary schools in the municipality since 2015.
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Strengthening the link and cooperation of the twinning with Nicaragua.