Report by Ms. Helena Aranda Mayor, the City of Granollers, Spain
On May 31, 2021, Granollers commemorates the 83rd anniversary of the bombing that the city suffered during the Civil War. Representatives of the municipalities of Calella and Figueres have taken part in the act of remembrance and tribute to the victims that took place in the cemetery, at 9.05 in the morning, at the same time as the attack.
Since the case in 2008, various activities to convey the historical memory and promote the importance of peace have been conducted, grouped in the program “Granollers, a town open to peace”. As part of these activities, this year, a “hybrid” meeting of the Executive of the Catalan Chapter of Mayors for Peace was held, having both in-person and virtual attendees.
Photo: courtesy of the Mayors for Peace Catalan Chapter
The meeting was chaired by the Mayor of Granollers— the city that holds the presidency of the network in Catalonia and the vice presidency worldwide. Serving the role of the Chapter’s Chair, that is to consolidate and expand the network of committed municipalities, Granollers monitors the latest actions taken and enhances more activities to be carried out in accordance with the Chapter’s Action Plan 2021. The Action Plan and its activities are in line with the work of the international organization Mayors for Peace and its European Chapter.
The ‘Cities of Peace’ campaign in support of Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is one of the main actions of the work plan. Executive cities will work over the next few months to raise awareness of the threat posed by nuclear weapons and to add support to the motion calling on the Spanish government to sign and ratify the treaty.
On the occasion of the International Day of Peace, which is celebrated every year on September 21, the municipalities of the executive will promote an awareness activity among all the member cities of the network. This will consist of a series of actions in public space and the dissemination of a municipal guide to peace education, on how to work for peace from the city councils. The aim of the initiative is to make visible the interrelationship of world peace with the local world.
The Catalan Chapter of Mayors for Peace was created in 2014, under the auspices of the Catalan Association of Municipalities and the Federation of Municipalities of Catalonia. The network has the support of the Catalan Fund for Development Cooperation and the financial support of the Barcelona Provincial Council. Since 2016, after approving the regulations and appointing the members of the executive and the presidency, which fell to the mayor of Granollers, the city coordinates and dynamizes the network at Catalan level, gives voice to municipalism for peace and promotes their knowledge among the citizenry. Currently, the executive committee for the 2021-2023 term is made up of the mayors of Calella, Figueres, Flix, Gavà, Granollers, Igualada, Manlleu, Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Sant Feliu de Llobregat.