Author: Eugenia

On Thursday, 19 February, the exhibition “PolsXtrems. Your Gym to Buff Up Your Critical Thinking” was inaugurated at Palau Robert. The initiative is led by ICIP and the Directorate-General for Public Outreach, with curation by the creative studio Domestic Data Streamers, which is responsible for art direction and exhibition design.

PolsXtrems is an interactive, multimedia exhibition that recreates a gym where visitors can train critical thinking, empathy, and curiosity about other people’s opinions. In a context marked by growing disinformation, polarization and hate speech, the exhibition space mirrors a gym training room, offering different “workouts” to build mental flexibility and critical spirit. It concludes with a recreated locker room that invites visitors to listen to diverse perspectives on current social debates such as immigration, tourism and language.

The opening event featured remarks by the Director-General for Public Outreach, Elisabet Valls; the Director of ICIP, Kristian Herbolzheimer; and the Director-General for Development Cooperation, Andrea Costafreda.

In her welcome address, Valls emphasised that “we can all become victims of polarisation and fall, without even realising it, into biased, unfair or potentially hateful narratives. It is essential to pause, to take a moment, and, as ICIP aptly proposes with this exhibition, overcome mental laziness and sign up for the gym of the mind: to exercise critical thinking, strengthen our reflective muscles and empathy for the common good.”

Herbolzheimer, in turn, stressed the importance of this mental training: “We celebrate disagreement, but we need tools to manage it constructively. ‘PolsXtrems’ invites us to identify our own cognitive biases and to train respect and curiosity toward those who think differently.”

Finally, in her closing remarks, Costafreda noted that from a development cooperation perspective, “it is not all about funding or technical solutions; many inequalities are rooted in social norms, narratives and worldviews,” and therefore it is essential to keep an open mind.

The inauguration concluded with a performance by Marina Olivares, who, playing the role of a gym trainer, invited attendees to “exercise in order to train their critical spirit.”

“PolsXtrems” is therefore a new concept of a gym designed to combat mental laziness, increase flexibility when listening to different points of view, counter disinformation, strengthen empathy and build resilience against toxic polarization. The exhibition can be visited in Room 2 at Palau Robert until 17 May. Admission is free and open to all.

The production of the exhibition is part of ICIP’s working area “Social and Political Dialogue”, through which ICIP promotes dialogue and mutual understanding as positive tools for conflict transformation, and examines the challenges that toxic polarization poses to democratic societies.

The ICIP Peace in Progress Award 2026 is now open for nominations. This is the fifteenth edition of the award, which aims to publicly recognise individuals, organisations, or institutions that have made an outstanding and sustained contribution to the promotion and construction of peace, both in Catalonia and internationally.

This year’s edition introduces a significant new feature: the financial endowment has increased from €6,000 to €10,000. The award also includes public recognition and a sculpture created by Nobel Peace Prize laureate, artist, and activist Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, entitled Puerta del Sol.

The call will remain open until 14 April 2026. Applications must be submitted electronically through the Government of Catalonia’s Procedures Portal or in person at any official registry of the Government of Catalonia.

Fifteen years of trajectory

In previous editions, the jury has honoured individuals and organisations at the international level, including: the Syrian women’s association Women Now for Development (2025); activist and researcher Vicenç Fisas (2024); the associations Women Victims of the War of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Forgotten Children of War (2023); the Basque civil society movement for peace (2022); Congolese activist Julienne Lusenge (2020); the Collective of Families of Disappeared Persons in Algeria (2019); the Mexican organisation Cauce Ciudadano (2018); activist Arcadi Oliveres (2017); the NGO Peace Brigades International (2016); Capuchin friar Joan Botam (2015); the organisation WILPF (2014); former general Jovan Divjak (2013); the Mothers of Soacha (2012); and the movement of conscientious objectors and insubordinates, symbolised by Pepe Beúnza (2011).

In 2011, the Parliament of Catalonia was also recognised with a special, extraordinary edition of the award.

The international Build Peace 2025 conference, organised by ICIP and Build Up in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, brought together—from 21 to 23 November—peace activists, researchers, technologists and organisations from around the world with shared aims: fostering safer, more democratic and participatory digital spaces; countering hate speech and polarisation; rethinking how we narrate peace and security; and placing memory at the centre of peacebuilding processes.

More than 300 participants visited La Ciba over the three days, taking part in workshops, debates and artistic performances.

Under the theme “Towards a Pluriverse of Peace”, the conference received support from the city councils of Santa Coloma and Barcelona, Catalunya Internacional and the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation.

From polarisation to dialogue: protecting people online

On Friday, 21 November, the sessions focused on the challenges posed by rising disinformation, hate speech and polarisation across social media platforms. Discussions highlighted the need to develop more ethical, human-centred platforms and algorithms that avoid the dominant corporate logic.

Proposals included online hate-speech monitoring, pre-bunking tools to prevent disinformation, participatory-designed text classifiers and AI models incorporating social and peacebuilding perspectives. Participants also explored how technology can strengthen participatory democracy and enable healthier public dialogue.

From deterrence to nonviolence: shifting security narratives

On Saturday 22 November, the thematic focus turned to human and community security, questioning the militarised narratives that dominate public discourse.

Against a global backdrop marked, especially in Europe, by the war in Ukraine and the violence in Gaza, speakers discussed how technology can serve war but also peace. Presentations examined the use of surveillance technologies, particularly at borders and in movement control, which can violate human rights but may also become tools for peace if developed with safeguards and public participation.

From erasure to memory: reclaiming the past to build the future

Sunday 23 November explored how societies deal with memory and forgetting in contexts of violence and authoritarianism, looking at concrete cases such as the Franco dictatorship and the Holocaust. Speakers warned of the risks of constructing single narratives or instrumentalising memory, and emphasised the role of listening and remembrance as forms of resistance that help repair collective trauma and foster reconciliation.

Discussions also highlighted the need for a feminist lens in peacebuilding: the voices and memories of women continue to be invisibilised, particularly in rural contexts, and the construction of diverse, plural narratives remains essential.

More than a conference

The 2025 edition reaffirmed that Build Peace is more than a conference: it is a community of people committed to a more just and peaceful society who meet each year to explore new tools and innovative methodologies for peacebuilding.

Alongside panels, project presentations and workshops, Build Peace 2025 featured several artistic proposals: from photographic exhibitions of local and international projects to a collaborative mural created along the Besòs riverbank by artist Yubia and coordinated by BesArt – The River Museum.
The conference also hosted its own radio project, Build Peace Radio, which broadcast the debates throughout the three days.

Next edition: Canada 2026

After three days of intense and creative exchange, Build Peace 2025 closed with the announcement of its next edition: the University of Waterloo in Canada will host the conference in 2026.

Coinciding with the conference, ICIP and Build Up launched a new special issue of the Peace in Progress magazine, co-edited by both organisations. Titled “Peace in the Digital Age”, the publication explores how digital technologies are reshaping conflict and peacebuilding. The magazine is available digitally in Catalan, Spanish and English.

L’espai de La CIBA de Santa Coloma de Gramenet acollirà del 21 al 23 de novembre al conferència internacional Build Peace 2025, que coorganitzen l’ICIP i Build Up, un col·lectiu que dissenya i implementa eines i processos que fan servir la tecnologia i les arts per abordar els conflictes i promoure la pau. 

A la conferència s’hi han inscrit prop de 300 participants d’arreu del món, membres d’organitzacions socials, d’universitats, activistes i professionals de la tecnologia. En aquesta dotzena edició, l’esdeveniment porta per títol “Cap a un Plurivers de Pau” i posarà el focus en la innovació i l’ús d’eines creatives i tecnològiques per transformar els conflictes i promoure la convivència a partir de tres grans temàtiques: el diàleg, la seguretat i la memòria.

La conferència compta amb el suport dels ajuntaments de Santa Coloma de Gramenet i Barcelona, Catalunya Internacional i la Generalitat de Catalunya.

Eixos de debat

Build Peace 2025 proposa repensar què significa la pau en un món marcat per la divisió, la desigualtat i l’opressió. El programa s’estructura al voltant de tres temàtiques:

De la polarització al diàleg

Davant dels reptes que suposa la creixent polarització política i social, promoguda en part per la propagació de discursos d’odi i desinformació a les xarxes socials, abordarem les eines que tenim a l’abast per promoure el diàleg i els espais participatius. Ho farem amb ponents com Nadim Nashif, de l’organització 7amleh (Palestina); Nerima Wako, fundadora de Siasa Place (Kènia), i Nil Homedes, responsable de la plataforma Decidim (Catalunya).

De la dissuasió a la noviolència

En el context de creixent militarització i cursa armamentística, posarem sobre la taula els enfocaments basats en la seguretat humana i comunitària. Comptarem amb un debat entre Julio Rodríguez, excap de l’Estat Major de Defensa a Espanya, i Anastasiia Holovnenko, del Centre for Civil Liberties d’Ucraïna, organització guardonat amb el Premi Nobel de la Pau 2023; i reflexionarem sobre l’ús de la tecnologia per a la defensa civil noviolenta amb les intervencions d’Ophelia Rivas, activista; Bruna dos Santos, de Witness, i Jack Isles, de Border Forensics.

De l’oblit a la memòria

Reflexionarem sobre com l’estudi i anàlisi del passat és clau per abordar les situacions de postconflicte i promoure la reconciliació. Entre els ponents per abordar aquesta qüestió destaquen Francisco Ferrándiz, membre del Consell Superior d’Investigacions Científiques; Natascha Zupan, de Berghof Foundation o Jelnar Ahmad, del projecte Syrian Archive (Síria).

Tallers, presentacions i propostes artístiques

La conferència també proposa diversos tallers (workshops), presentacions de projectes relacionats amb les diferents temàtiques (short talks). A nivell local, s’hi presentaran propostes de col·lectius i entitats com Canòdrom (Ateneu d’innovació digtial i democràtica de Barcelona), FundiPau, el Centre Delàs o l’Escola de Cultura de Pau. A nivell internacional, destaquen les iniciatives de swisspeace, WILPF, Perú por el Desarme, Sudan Memory Project o Fundación Corona.

També hi haurà espai per a propostes artístiques, com exposicions, projeccions de documentals, activitats de moviment i rutes guiades.

Coincidint amb la celebració de la conferència, el divendres 21 de novembre, a dos quarts de 7 de la tarda, el Teatre Sagarra de Santa Coloma de Gramenet acollirà l’acte inaugural de la campanya “Municipis, llavors de pau”, impulsada pel Fons Català de Cooperació al Desenvolupament.

The Catalan Forum for Peace has collected 913 proposals from citizens to help shape the Government of Catalonia’s new Country of Peace Master Plan. Between April and June, around 500 people took part in the 36 in-person sessions held throughout Catalonia, along with additional online contributions via the Participa website.

Specifically, ten deliberative sessions and 26 self-managed sessions were held by various groups, organizations and institutions, with discussions focusing on five themes: Culture of peace; Security and justice; Conflicts, violence and peace; Global threats and challenges to peace; and Women, peace and security.

Based on these thematic areas, the goal of the participatory process was to identify concrete measures to be included in the future Country of Peace Master Plan.

Debates across Catalonia

A total of 183 participants generated 301 proposals in deliberative sessions held in Barcelona, Bellaterra, Girona, Granollers, Lleida, Olot, Tarragona and Tortosa.

The self-managed sessions resulted in 467 proposals, with a total of 322 participants.  These sessions were organized by various actors:

• Public institutions, such as the Department of Justice, Interior, and European Union and Foreign Affairs; the Catalan Youth Agency; the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation; and ICIP.

• Organizations advocating for peace, such as FundiPau, the Delàs Centre for Peace Studies, NOVACT, the Coordinating Committee of Solidarity NGOs of Girona, Aturem les Guerres, Terra i Pau, and Friends of UNESCO-Girona.

• Trade unions, such as Comissions Obreres and UGT.

• Community and social groups, such as neighborhood associations in Figueres, members of the African and Latin American diaspora, universities, the Network of Educators for Global Citizenship in Tarragona, CIEMEN, the Journalism for Peace Group of the Association of Journalists of Catalonia, and third-sector organizations like the Red Cross.

Finally, the participatory process also included online contributions through the Participa website.  A total of 145 proposals were submitted, both individually and collectively. These include proposals submitted by Lafede,  the School for a Culture of Peace, the Catalan Fund for Development Cooperation, and the Network of Mayors for Peace.

In total, 505 people took part in the participatory process. The Catalan Council for the Promotion of Peace – one of the driving forces behind the Forum – will now review the proposals before presenting them to the Government. The results of the process will help define the content of the Country of Peace Master Plan, which will later be submitted to Parliament for approval. All of the proposals collected during this process will be publicly available on the Participa website.

Less violence, more global justice

The Catalan Forum for Peace is both a space for public participation and a platform for reflection. Its aim is to develop a public peace policy for Catalonia while also strengthening the peace movement. The Forum is the result of joint efforts by institutions and civil society, promoted by the Government of Catalonia, the Catalan Council for the Promotion of Peace, ICIP and the network of peace associations, under the motto “Less violence, more global justice.”

In the face of global challenges such as the climate crisis, rising military expenditure, an increase in the number of armed conflicts, and the erosion of democratic foundations, Catalonia is committed to peace and seeks to encourage reflection on how we contribute to peace both here at home and abroad.

On Wednesday 10 September, Barcelona hosted “Artistic practices and a culture of peace,” an event that brought together artists, educators and activists to explore the role of artistic expression in peacebuilding.

Organized by ICIP, ConArte Internacional, Fundación Baketik, Fundació L’Arc, the Theatre Institute’s Social and Community Action Unit, and Dansalut, the event took place at the Fundació Carulla. The gathering underscored that fostering a culture of peace is a collective responsibility involving not only the pacifist movement but also numerous organizations using art and culture to transform society.

The program opened with the roundtable “Art for Peace,” where participants shared experiences of social transformation through art therapy, theatre and hip-hop. Participants included Silvina Merino (La Quinta Pata), David Martínez (La Nave Va) and Lucas Vico (Erol Urbà).

Merino presented Bud na bud, a project that uses embroidery and collective artistic practices to empower Afghan refugee women, turning trauma and exclusion into creative expression that strengthens a culture of peace through memory, dignity and community solidarity. Martínez highlighted the work of La Nave Va, which uses social theatre as a tool for inclusion, awareness and dialogue, taking art beyond the stage to strengthen community bonds. Finally, Vico presented Erol Urbà, a collective that promotes social intervention projects through urban art – rap, graffiti, dance and audiovisual projects – as a way to channel creativity into processes of critique, expression and community transformation.

Movement and words

Following the roundtable, artists Marta Galán and Montserrat Iranzo from Dansalut led a hands-on workshop focused on the body, identity and life stories as tools for theatrical creation and dramaturgy. Through creative dance, body expression, improvisation and free writing, participants explored the interplay between movement and words as a way of recognizing identity, sharing personal experiences and discovering new forms of artistic and collective expression.

The event was part of MONDIACULT 2025, UNESCO’s World Conference on Cultural Policies, which will take place in Barcelona from 29 September to 1 October, with thousands of participants from all over the world.

On Thursday, September 18, during the week marking the International Day of Peace, ICIP presented the 2025 Peace in Progress Award to Women Now for Development, a leading Syrian women’s organisation. The award honours the network for its work in supporting, protecting, and empowering Syrian women—both inside the country and in exile—as a powerful symbol of resistance and feminist solidarity in the face of violence.

Women Now for Development was founded in 2012 as a community initiative to support women and girls in the early days of the Syrian revolution. Its initial aim was to create safe spaces where women could meet, share knowledge, and exchange experiences. Since then, it has become a leading feminist organisation working both in war zones and in conflict-affected contexts, inside and outside Syria. The network has helped shape a generation of women who continue resisting violence and building hope amidst destruction.

The ceremony was opened by ICIP president Xavier Masllorens, who underlined the importance of “recognising people and organisations that work against the tide, upholding dignity,” which is the essence of the ICIP Award. In today’s turbulent context for peace, Masllorens lamented the lack of action on conflict prevention. He also stressed the need to work for peace: “Not preventing means giving up on deeply analysing the true causes of conflicts, and that constitutes a collective failure with devastating consequences (…). Today, we have the conditions to work with a new paradigm in conflict resolution between communities, peoples, nations, and states. A paradigm that is unprecedented but not impossible, which we call a culture of peace: a world without misery, more just and equal.”

Next, Palestinian poet and translator of Syrian origin, Mohamad Bitari, offered a tribute to the award-winning organisation and highlighted that the ICIP Award “is a homage to the memory of Syrian women, and to all that they have given for a more just, free, and safe country. It is also a tribute to every woman in the world who has refused to be only a victim, and has chosen to be active, courageous, and transformative.”

A recognition of women’s struggle

In his remarks, Bitari recalled many Syrian women who have marked the country’s resistance through their social and political activism. Many of them suffered repression at the hands of the Syrian regime and received support and protection from Women Now for Development.

On behalf of the award-winning organisation, the award was accepted by executive director Lubna Alkanawati and the organisation’s director in Lebanon, Roulah Al Rekbie. In their acceptance speeches, they emphasised the repression and displacement suffered by Syrian women for decades. They highlighted that the ICIP Award makes their struggle visible and places women at the centre of peacebuilding: “This recognition gives us strength to keep moving forward, to transform pain into action. It reminds us that the struggle continues, that we will keep working to ensure that Syrian women have a voice of their own,” said Al Rekbie. For her part, Alkanawati dedicated the award to the “women of Syria, Sudan, Palestine, Yemen, Iran, and Afghanistan, and all places where women suffer from occupation, extremism, and patriarchy.” The organisation will allocate the prize to funding support programs for survivors of sexual violence.

A third representative of the organisation, Muzna Al Jundi, who was unable to travel to Barcelona due to visa difficulties, participated through a video message to thank the organisation for the award from northwest Syria.

The President of the Catalan Parliament, Josep Rull, closed the ceremony with words of gratitude to ICIP and to the award-winning organisation. “Today is an act of recognition, of hope, and of collective dignity,” he said. Rull praised the work of Women Now for Development and ICIP for the quality of the Peace in Progress Award. He also warned that this award comes in an “absolutely devastating international context” and called for “the participation and perspective of women in peacebuilding and reconciliation processes.”

Solidarity with Palestine

The genocide in Gaza was a recurring theme throughout the ceremony. The ICIP president began his remarks with a moment of silence in solidarity with Palestine, which the audience joined, standing. Poet Mohamad Bitari also remembered the people of Palestine, “subjected to systematic genocide and constant aggression that continues day after day before the eyes of the world.”

The ceremony opened and closed with a musical performance by the Syrian duo Athrodeel.

The ICIP Peace in Progress Award, a fourteen-year trajectory

The ICIP Peace in Progress Award, established in 2011, aims to publicly recognise individuals, organisations, or institutions that have worked and contributed in a significant and sustained way to the promotion and construction of peace. The award consists of public recognition, a sculpture created by Nobel Peace Prize laureate, artist, and activist Adolfo Pérez Esquivel entitled Porta de Sol, and a monetary prize of 6,000 euros.

Over its fourteen-year history, the ICIP Award has recognised individuals and groups from Catalonia, Bosnia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, Mexico, and Algeria for their struggle in favour of reconciliation, truth, justice, or equality, with a focus also on the empowerment of women and a gender perspective.

Photos: Sergio Ramos Ledesma (Parlament de Catalunya)

La CIBA space in Santa Coloma de Gramenet will host the international Build Peace 2025 conference from November 21 to 23, co-organised by ICIP and Build Up, a collective that designs and implements tools and processes using technology and the arts to address conflict and promote peace.

Around 300 participants from all over the world, including members of social organisations, universities, activists, and technology professionals, have registered for the conference. In its twelfth edition, the event is titled “Towards a Pluriverse of Peace”. It will focus on innovation and the use of creative and technological tools to transform conflict and foster coexistence around three main themes: dialogue, security, and memory.

The conference is supported by the City Councils of Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Barcelona, Catalunya Internacional, and the Government of Catalonia.

Towards a Pluriverse of Peace

Build Peace 2025 invites participants to rethink what peace means in a world marked by division, inequality, and oppression. The program is structured around three themes:

Between Polarisation and Deliberation
In the face of growing political and social polarisation, partly fueled by the spread of hate speech and disinformation on social media, we will explore the tools available to promote dialogue and participatory spaces. Speakers will include Nadim Nashif from the organisation 7amleh (Palestine); Nerima Wako, founder of Siasa Place (Kenya); and Nil Homedes, head of the Decidim platform (Catalonia).

Between Deterrence and Nonviolence
In a context of increasing militarisation and arms race, we will discuss approaches based on human and community security. The session will feature a debate between Julio Rodríguez, former Chief of the Defence Staff in Spain, and Anastasiia Holovnenko from the Centre for Civil Liberties in Ukraine, recipient of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize. We will also reflect on the use of technology for nonviolent civil defence with contributions from activist Ophelia Rivas, Bruna dos Santos from Witness, and Jack Isles from Border Forensics.

Between Erasure and Memory
We will reflect on how studying and analysing the past is key to addressing post-conflict situations and promoting reconciliation. Speakers on this topic include Francisco Ferrándiz, member of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC); Natascha Zupan, from Berghof Foundation; and Jelnar Ahmad, from the Syrian Archive project (Syria).

Workshops, presentations, and artistic proposals
The conference will also feature several workshops, short talks, and project presentations related to the different themes. At the local level, initiatives will be presented by organisations such as Canòdrom (Barcelona’s Digital and Democratic Innovation Hub), FundiPau, Centre Delàs, and Escola de Cultura de Pau. At the international level, highlights include initiatives from swisspeace, WILPF, Perú por el Desarme, Sudan Memory Project, and Fundación Corona.

There will also be space for artistic expressions, including exhibitions, documentary screenings, movement-based activities, and guided tours.

Coinciding with the conference, on Friday, November 21, at 6:30 p.m., the Sagarra Theatre in Santa Coloma de Gramenet will host the opening event of the campaign “Municipalities, Seeds of Peace,” promoted by the Catalan Fund for Development Cooperation.

On Monday, June 30, the participatory process of the Catalan Forum for Peace officially came to a close. Over the past three months, this initiative has taken place across Catalonia intending to gather public input for the development of the new Pla Director País de Pau (Peace Country Master Plan).

Between April and June, ten deliberative sessions were held, bringing together over 180 participants and generating approximately 300 proposals. In parallel, nearly twenty self-managed sessions were organised by a wide range of organisations and institutions, including the ICIP, the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation, FundiPau, the Delàs Centre, Girona Friends of UNESCO, the Peace Journalism Group of the Catalan Association of Journalists, the Network of Educators for Global Citizenship in Tarragona, the Departments of Interior and Justice, the Catalan Youth Agency, UGT, CCOO, the Technical Cooperation, Volunteering and Refugee Network of Catalan Universities, and Mujer Diáspora.

Among them, the ICIP hosted two self-managed sessions in June: one with members of the African diaspora in Catalonia (June 19), and another with migrant women from diverse backgrounds (June 27).

Throughout the process, additional contributions—both individual and collective—were submitted via the Catalan Government’s Participa platform. While the final tally is still being compiled, early estimates indicate that over 500 proposals have been received.

With the participatory phase now complete, the Catalan Council for the Promotion of Peace, which led the Forum, will analyse the proposals and submit them to the Government. All contributions will be made publicly available on the Participa portal.

In a press conference, ICIP has presented the study “L’arrelament de les idees involucionistes i bel·licistes a Catalunya” (The entrenchment of reactionary and militaristic ideas in Catalonia) (ICIP Report 24/2025). The report, conducted by journalist and data analyst Roger Tugas i Vilardell, analyzes which sectors of Catalan society are more susceptible to ideas contrary to democratic values, human rights and peace – such as racism, sexism, LGBTIphobia and militarism.

The data was drawn from seven public institution surveys. An in-depth analysis was carried out on ICIP Survey 2022 “Coexistence and cohesion in Catalonia” and ICIP Survey 2023 “Coexistence and security in Catalonia.” Additional surveys on values and habits conducted in 2023 by the CEO (Centre d’Estudis d’Opinió) and the CIS (Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas), as well as the European Social Survey were also examined. Data from a total of 130 questions were cross-referenced using variables such as age, gender, education level, size of town of residence, level of social trust, income, and concern about security.

The study falls under the “Social and political dialogue” line of work promoting coexistence, dialogue and social cohesion in Catalonia.  As ICIP director Kristian Herbolzheimer explained, “It is essential to manage disagreement and conflict in a constructive manner. That is why we want to understand in which segments of society antidemocratic values are most prevalent and what explains these attitudes, with a broad perspective and avoiding simplistic answers.”

Key findings

The study confirms that sexist, homophobic, transphobic, racist, authoritarian and militaristic views are more prevalent among men – especially young men – and among people with low social trust, heightened concerns about security or antisocial behavior, and those facing economic hardship.

However, there is no discernable generational trend towards more conservative views:young people arenot less feminist or more racist than the general population. On the contrary, they more strongly support abortion rights, LGBTI rights and new forms of emotional and sexual relationships.  At the same time, though, young people are more supportive of punitivism and military defense.

According to the study’s author, Roger Tugas i Vilardell, “Those who most embrace reactionary ideas are often people facing uncertainty, insecurity and fear in the face of a pessimistic outlook shaped by precariousness and a changing society.” This profile often includes young men, a group highly exposed to social media – where hate speech is prevalent.  They often face difficulties to become economically self-sufficient, and have less established political backgrounds, making them more susceptible to new ideologies. Still, the author stresses that it is not exclusively a generational or gender issue – it is multifactorial.

In this regard, the ICIP director emphasized that young men are often criminalized as followers of far-right ideas, but “there are reactionary attitudes across all segments of society.”

Cross-referencing variables

By cross-referencing various variables, the study finds that the perception of community cohesion is linked to expressions of racism, intolerance or militarism. For example, among those who believe that coexistence in their neighborhood or town is poor, only 43 percent would be comfortable if a son or daughter married a refugee. In contrast, among those who believe coexistence is very good, acceptance rises to 67 percent. Additionally, people who perceive coexistence as very poor are more likely to support military spending.

The analysis also establishes a link between personal perceptions of success or failure and views on immigration. Fifty-eight percent of people who see themselves as “losers” claim immigrants commit more crimes than native citizens.  Among those who see themselves as “winners,” only 25 percent believe this.

The study also yields conclusions from cross-referencing age-gender and age-use of violence. In the first case, the report finds that men are more sexist than women – particularly young men. According to the data, 23 percent of young men (up to 30 years old) strongly or somewhat agree with the statement “men are better political leaders than women,” and 20 percent believe gender-based violence is an invention of feminism. Additionally, one in three young people would be willing to use violence to defend their ideas and values – twelve percentage points higher than any other age group.

Interactive web space

The study is complemented by the creation of a web space that allows users to interact directly with the data by cross-referencing multiple variables such as gender, age, education level and degree of trust. Specifically, the site lets users explore the data across four sections: Age and gender, Social trust, Economic precariousness, and Sense of insecurity.

The web space features some seventy graphs, which can also be consulted by topics: Sexism, LGBTIphobia, Racism, Militarism and Tolerance of difference.

This spring, the Catalan Forum for Peace will be reactivated with two key objectives: to design a public policy for peace in Catalonia and to strengthen the peace movement.

The first major step in this direction will be the elaboration of the Country of Peace Master Plan, a strategic framework that should provide a greater coherence, visibility and impact to the actions of the Government and to municipal and supramunicipal entities in terms of peace promotion, both locally and globally.

To meet this challenge, a citizen participation process will be launched, with three channels of participation aimed at all citizens: deliberative sessions and self-managed sessions on the central themes of the Forum (which will take place throughout Catalonia), and online participation through the Government of Catalonia’s Participa website. The participatory process will begin in April and conclude in June.

Modification of the Law for the Promotion of Peace

As a prelude to the beginning of the participatory process of the Catalan Forum for Peace, on Wednesday 12 March, the Catalan Parliament approved the modification of the Law for the Promotion of Peace so that it includes the obligation for each government to elaborate a Master Plan for Peace. The reform, promoted by the working group of the Catalan Forum for Peace, was approved with 106 votes in favor, from the parliamentary groups of PSC, Junts, ERC, Comuns and CUP, and 27 against, from the Popular Party, Vox and Aliança Catalana.

The new law establishes that, every four years, the Government will have to present a master plan called Country of Peace, a strategic framework to ensure greater coherence, visibility and impact in the actions of the Government, the municipal and supramunicipal entities and other public entities in the promotion of peace. This master plan, which must be approved by Parliament, must be drawn up following a previous process of analysis, information, consultation and participation, and must anticipate the resources and establish the priorities to be respected and specified in the annual peace plans.

Intervening in the debate were the MPs Sílvia Orriols (AC) and Alberto Tarradas (Vox), who defended their respective groups’ procedural motions to halt consideration of the bill, as well as Francesc de Dalmases (Junts), Ruben Wagensberg (ERC), Hugo Manchón (PPC), Susanna Segovia (Comuns), Laura Fernández Vega (CUP-DT) and Neus Comes (PSC-Units).

Representatives of ICIP, the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation, Lafede.cat and peace movement organizations, such as FundiPau and Novact, followed the debate from the chamber.

The Director of the Unit for the Implementation of the Peace Agreement in Colombia, Gloria Cuartas, has visited Catalonia at the invitation of the Catalan Development Cooperation Fund to participate in the first edition of La Nit del Fons, the annual meeting of public and private cooperation stakeholders in Catalonia.

During her stay, Cuartas held meetings with various institutional representatives and participated in an analysis session at the ICIP office entitled “Implementing peace in Colombia: Challenges and perspectives.” The meeting, which was attended by Catalan civil society organizations, addressed the current challenges facing the peace process in Colombia.

Former mayor of Apartadó and promoter of total peace

Gloria Cuartas is a key figure in peacebuilding and the defense of human rights in Colombia.  She was mayor of the town of Apartadó (1995-1997) during a period of great violence when the region was the scene of confrontations between armed groups. During her mandate, she promoted initiatives for dialogue and protection of the civilian population and promoted coexistence and reconciliation in a context marked by conflict. Her commitment to human rights earned her recognition as well as threats and personal challenges.

Currently, as director of the Unit for the Implementation of the Peace Agreement, she is leading efforts to oversee the effective application of the agreement signed in 2016 between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP. Her work focuses on strengthening transitional justice mechanisms, the reincorporation of former combatants and the implementation of rural development policies in the regions most affected by the conflict.  Furthermore, it promotes community participation in the construction of a stable and lasting peace while ensuring that the commitments of the agreement translate into real and sustainable changes for Colombian society.

Institutional meetings and analysis session at ICIP

During her visit to Catalonia, Cuartas held an analysis session at the ICIP office in which she went over her personal and political career and analyzed the current situation in Colombia, which she described as “complicated.” “Total peace is going through a deep crisis,” she said. She also expressed her gratitude to the numerous Catalan institutions, including ICIP, which have been “weaving peace in my country” for years.

Before the session, Cuartas held several institutional meetings accompanied by, among others, ICIP director Kristian Herbolzheimer. On Monday 10 March, she met with the president of the Parliament of Catalonia, Josep Rull, and with representatives of the European Union and External Action Committee, with whom she discussed the efforts of Gustavo Petro’s government to achieve total peace. The following day, Tuesday 11 March, she held a meeting with the Minister of the European Union and External Action of the Government of Catalonia, Jaume Duch, to evaluate the projects financed by the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation in Colombia. Cuartas’ visit to Catalonia ended on Wednesday 12 March with her participation in La Nit del Fons, where she was the keynote speaker.