Report by Ms. Helena Aranda Mayor, the City of Granollers, Spain
The first meeting of the network’s executive committee for the 2021-2023 term, made up of the mayors of Calella, Figueres, Flix, Gavà, Granollers, Igualada, Manlleu, Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Sant Feliu de Llobregat, took place electronically on 5 February.
The new commission, appointed by the Catalan Association of Municipalities and Counties (ACM) and the Federation of Municipalities of Catalonia (FMC) and chaired by the Mayor of Granollers Josep Mayoral, defined the priority actions for the year 2021 and approve the roadmap to follow, which aims to consolidate and expand the network of municipalities involved. The plan of activities is in line with the work of the international organization Mayors for Peace and its European section.
Sharing local resources for peace education, the implementation of local agendas for peace and coexistence and the promotion of the ‘Cities of Peace’ campaign, which aims to encourage municipalities to support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, are some of the planned activities. The network, led by the European section of Mayors for Peace, will also foster relations with European institutions in order to foster partnerships that will help it move forward on its goals.
Josep Mayoral, president of the Catalan network, highlighted the work of member cities, despite the difficulties following the Covid-19, and called for promoting advocacy in relation to issues of global peace and justice from the local world. The action of local governments is key to building more peaceful societies.
The coordination of these tasks will be done through the technical working group, represented by the municipalities that are part of the executive committee.