The president of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) and mayor of Jerez, María José García-Pelayo, has defended this Wednesday the role of Spanish town halls as "essential partners" to face challenges such as unwanted loneliness.
During the closing session of the Congress of the World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders, held in Tangier (Morocco), García-Pelayo has set the main goal as "that no one feels alone in their own municipality," according to a statement from the FEMP.
In her speech, she emphasized that, in a scenario of aging and fragmented societies, neighborhoods and towns become the most suitable environment for identifying situations of helplessness. "It is in our neighborhoods and towns where we know who needs support and where we can weave relationships of care, coexistence, and solidarity," she stated, highlighting the role of municipalities as essential agents in designing future agendas.
The president of the Federation stressed that the organization has placed unwanted loneliness at the core of its political action. In this regard, she recalled the "strengthening of the commitment" with the Platform of Seniors and Pensioners to promote "person-centered care, combat loneliness, and strengthen local community networks."
Likewise, she has called for more intense involvement of local governments in international forums and has asked for town halls to be endowed with the essential competencies, tools, and economic resources to deploy these proximity policies.
Intergenerational participation and the right to the city
Among the initiatives that the FEMP has put on the table are the "strengthening of local public services" and the promotion of "intergenerational participation." García-Pelayo has defended the need to "incorporate" the voices of both the elderly and young people in public decision-making, with the aim of building "more resilient" cities in the face of climate change, ensuring accessibility, territorial cohesion, and opportunities.
To conclude, she underlined that major global consensuses, such as the Pact for the Future and the 2030 Agenda, will only have a real impact if they are built "from the ground up," with municipalities as indispensable actors.