International consultancy to support the contents of the "Good Governance in Mercosur Municipalities" Seminar, mainly in the field of governance and citizen participation

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Description of the consultancy:

The Mirada Ciudadana project generated mechanisms for dialogue and the exchange of experiences aimed at strengthening the management capacities of the local governments involved, with governance and citizen participation as its pillars. To this end, among other initiatives, international seminars were organised with the participation of representatives of municipalities and institutions from the countries involved in the project, as well as professionals from other countries and international organisations.

In the case of the "Good Governance in Mercosur Municipalities" Seminar, which was the first major event of the project, Spanish municipalist Josep Villareal, from the City Council of Barcelona, was invited to participate with a presentation on innovative experiences in the field of citizen governance, focusing on the 'Citizens' Agreement for an Inclusive Barcelona' initiative.

According to Villareal himself, the 'Citizens' Agreement' is: "a space for participation, public and private collaboration, and joint action between institutions and organisations of the city that work in order to build a more inclusive Barcelona and a better quality of life of every citizen; it is a shared space between the city's government and civil society for social inclusion. The aim of the Agreement is to increase the city's social capital, i.e. its capacity of organisation and joint action. And it does so by promoting cooperation and the creation of networks of action to move on towards the plural and democratic construction of common welfare: Social Inclusion".

During his stay at the Seminar, the speaker had several working sessions with the participating local governments in order to help them reflect on how to take advantage of the successes of this initiative and its possible application within the scope of Mercosur.

Objectives:

To get to know "from the inside", and directly from one of its main actors, an innovative initiative of a great European city in terms of governance and citizen participation. In particular, to learn how these initiatives face the challenges of training and labour insertion of young people suffering exclusion or unemployment through public action and coordination with other actors such as business groups and the social sphere.

Participating Institutions:

Barcelona City Council

Main products:

Presentation on the "Citizens' Agreement for an Inclusive Barcelona", entitled "An Itinerary for Moving from City Government Strategies to City Strategies", and associated working documents, especially related to the challenges of training and labour insertion of young people suffering exclusion or unemployment.

Assessments:

Josep Villareal's presentation, the working sessions he held thereafter and the documents shared were very positively valued by the project management and all the participants. In fact, several subsequent initiatives of Mirada Ciudadana have been inspired by the experience of Barcelona and the learning shared during those days.

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