2011 progress report to the Global Alliance for
Ministries and Departments of Peace

Country: Spain
Campaign: Ministry for Peace – Spain
GA Contact Person: Simonetta Costanzo Pittaluga
Contact Email: npnovaspain@hotmail.com
Website:www.nova.cat

Report from Catalonia (Spain)

Since the first Summit in 2005 in London, the pride in the advancement in Catalonia of infrastructures for Peace had permitted me to bring to the attention of the GA some very impressive work and successes that had been obtained by 2009.

• The Office for promotion of Peace and Human Rights (2004)
• The Law for Promotion of Peace (2004)
• The creation of the Council for Peace (2005)
• The open (to civil society) participation for the design of the Catalan International Peace Institute (ICIP) and it’s opening (2006-2008)
• The birth of the Castle for Peace Training Center (2009) by the Municipality of Barcelona

But somehow things have changed for worst since 2010:

• The Peace and Cooperation Agenda has fallen before the brutality of the European crisis.

• The new governing parties of the Region have called for a 55% reduction of the Catalan Agency for cooperation and development.
• The ICIP was endowed with a President and an ED who have turned their backs to the ‘International’ and ‘service to civil society organizations’ that it was created for. It has been turned into a research and theoretic institution, instead of opening to practical and international
• Peace (building, making, keeping) Campaigns and Movements.
• The Council for Peace is being dissolved.
• The Office for Promotion of Peace and Human Rights has been closed.

The hope of the local civil society organizations, for Peace, Development and Human Rights, is now to focus on the ‘indignant’ society that has started a civil nonviolent movement against various indignities that have rocked the bases of a democratic society in Spain (see Annex 1 and 2). In that context we hope to move the need for a Ministry of Peace ahead, but it feels like starting all over….

Because of this situation, and of the low place that Peace and it’s infrastructures have come to on the Catalonia agenda, and the fact that there are National elections that will probably bring right wing parties to power (form which we fear even lower priority for support) there is no reason to bring our voice from Spain to the Summit, much to our chagrin…. at least for another 4 years.

Lessons learned are: to take nothing for granted, political decisions are just that: political, interested and circumstantial; to put the right people into these infrastructures; and to follow-up all new political changes and their effect on the Peace agenda and civil society that leaders it.

Best Wishes for a fruitful meeting, I am present at heart!
Simonetta

Annex 1 – Manifesto ‘spanish revolution’ May 2011 (http://www.democraciarealya.es/manifiesto-comun/manifesto-english/)

We are ordinary people. We are like you: people, who get up every morning to study, work or find a job, people who have family and friends. People who work hard every day to provide a better future for those around us.

Some of us consider ourselves progressive, others conservative. Some of us are believers, some not. Some of us have clearly defined ideologies, others are apolitical, But we are all angry and concerned about the political, economic, and social outlook we see around us which are: corruption among politicians, businessmen, bankers, that are leaving us helpless, without a voice.

This situation has become normal, daily suffering, without hope. But if we join forces, we can change it. It’s Time To Change Things, time to build a better Society together. Therefore, we strongly argue that:

• The Priorities of Society must be advanced Equality, Progress, Solidarity, Freedom of culture, Sustainability and Development, Welfare and People’s Happiness.
• These are inalienable Truths that we should abide by in our society: the right to housing, employment, culture, health, education, political participation, free personal development, and consumer rights for a healthy and happy life.
• The current status of our Government and Economic System does not take care of these rights, and in many ways is an obstacle to human progress.
• Democracy belongs to the people (demos = people, kratos = government) Which means that Government is made by every one of us. However, in Spain MOST of the Political class does not listen to us. Politicians should be bringing our voice to the Institutions, facilitating Political Participation through direct channels for Citizens. To provide the greatest benefit to the WIDER Society, not to get rich and prosper at our expense, only attending to the Economic Dictatorship of major Powers and holding them in power through to the immovable bipartidism acronym headed by PP & PSOE.
• Lust for power and its accumulation among only a FEW creates Inequality, Social Tension and Injustice, which leads to structural violence, which we reject. The obsolete and unnatural Economic fuels the social model into a growing spiral machinery that consumes itself by enriching those few and sends the rest into poverty. Until the collapse.
• The will and purpose of the current system is the Accumulation of money, without regard to efficiency and welfare of Society. Wasting resources, destroying the planet, creating Unemployment and consumers unhappiness.
• Citizens are the gears of a machine designed to enrich a minority with no regard to our needs. We are anonymous, but without us none of this would exist, because we move the world.
• If we as a Society do not learn to entrust our future to an abstract economy, which never returns the most benefits, we can eliminate the abuse that we are all suffering.
• We need an ethical revolution. Instead of placing money above human beings, we shall put it back to our service. We are people, not products. I am not a product of what I buy, why I buy and who I buy from.

For all of the above, I am outraged.
I think I can change it.
I think I can help.
I Know That together we can..

Annex 2 – BARCELONA CONSENSUS: http://consensus.nova.cat/sites/default/files/descarregables/%5BENG%5D%20Declaración%20BC%20Final_0.pdf