Barcelona, 16 September 2021.- On Thursday afternoon, ICIP president and director, Xavier Masllorens and Kristian Herbolzheimer respectively, appeared before the Committee on External Action, Transparency and Cooperation of the Parliament of Catalonia to present the institution’s activity reports for the years 2019 and 2020.
In his speech, the president highlighted ICIP’s distinctive profile, “with a clear and defined identity,” as well as its commitment to internationalization and collaboration with other institutes and organizations, despite the global pandemic situation. “ICIP has reacted very well to the new socialization and has maintained or increased some of its most important actions,” said Masllorens. The celebration of the First International Forum for Peacebuilding in Mexico, the collaboration agreement with the Commission for the Clarification of the Truth, Coexistence and Reconciliation of Colombia and the second survey on coexistence and polarization in Catalonia are among the most noteworthy of these accomplishments.
The independence of ICIP: an indispensable condition
For his part, ICIP director Kristian Herbolzheimer defended the independence of the Institute, “an indispensable condition” to carry out the mandate established by law (which implies the creation of synergies between different actors and movements) and provide answers to a changing world. “The nature of conflicts is changing and from the field of peacebuilding we must reinvent and update our agenda to adapt it to the challenges of the 21st century,” said Herbolzheimer. In this regard, the ICIP director highlighted the celebration of the World Peace Congress that will take place in Barcelona from 15-17 October and announced the intention to work towards a Catalan Peace Congress, which would allow us to bring the agendas of the different social movements up to date and face future challenges, such as the security model debate.
The ICIP director also highlighted the institution’s work in favor of social cohesion in Catalonia and its commitment to dialogue as the way to transform any conflict. “The art of building peace is to make possible what seems impossible and unimaginable,” he said.
The activity presented by ICIP in the annual reports corresponding to the years 2019 and 2020 received almost unanimous support from the spokespersons of the various parliamentary groups. In their speeches, PSC, ERC, Junts per Catalunya, CUP, En Comú Podem, Ciutadans and the Mixed Group expressed their gratitude for the work carried out by ICIP and highlighted its internationalization efforts and the extensive activity maintained at all times, even in the midst of a pandemic, during which the institution has been able to adapt to a virtual format.
ICIP was created by the Parliament of Catalonia in 2007 with the aim of promoting a culture of peace both in Catalan society and internationally, and to ensure that Catalonia plays an active role as an agent of peace in the world. ICIP is an autonomous organization with its own legal personality. It serves public administrations, academia and civil society, and reports to Parliament, the Government and the general public.
