The Forum on Urban Violence in Madrid ends with a Decalogue of commitments

The World Forum on Urban Violence and Education for Coexistence and Peace, which took place in Madrid on 19, 20 and 21 April, has concluded with an institutional declaration containing ten commitments for the building of Cities of Peace. The declaration establishes the creation of an International Technical Secretariat to ensure the continuity of the forum in the future and the intention of creating a Local Agenda on Urban Violence and Education within two years.
The Forum brought together 3,500 participants from 70 different countries, a hundred mayors and numerous international organizations to discuss and reflect on the challenges facing cities to prevent and combat the many faces of violence. The final document, adopted by participating local governments and civil society organizations, urges state governments to create and supervise action plans for the prevention of violence, introduce anti-corruption mechanisms, develop local action plans against violence, promote policies of equity and inclusion, and encourage coexistence and mediation.
As a member of the Spanish Association for Peace Research (AIPAZ), ICIP was part of the organizing committee of the Forum and actively participated in the conference, which provided a meeting point for the exchange of knowledge among similar institutions. The ICIP delegation present at the Forum was headed by the Institute’s president, Xavier Masllorens, and its director, Tica Font.