Barcelona City Council has presented a new technical cooperation agreement with the Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA), at the second session of the District 11 Advisory Committee in the Saló de Cent at the Ajuntament de Barcelona.
Maria Eugènia Gay, the district councillor and committee president, said Barcelona remains committed to the Palestinian people and wants that commitment to continue through long-term projects, alliances and actions. The agreement is part of District 11, the city’s international cooperation framework for Palestinian cities. For more on local coverage, see our news page.
The programme will provide technical cooperation from Barcelona to smaller and medium-sized Palestinian municipalities, which city officials said often have more difficulty accessing international networks. The Barcelona Provincial Council will support the project with funding, technical expertise for training and inter-municipal exchanges, and it will also work to bring in other provincial councils.
The plan includes work on public services, public spaces, facilities and small infrastructure. City officials said the aim is to turn cooperation into practical investment with visible results, while also strengthening municipal management, service quality and community well-being.
Paula Gil, president of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), attended the session and spoke about the situation in Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip, and in Lebanon. District 11 plans to develop cooperation projects in those territories as well.
The committee, chaired by Manel Vila, brings together representatives from the municipal administration, the Spanish central government, the Catalan government, local bodies, parliamentary groups, non-governmental organisations working in the region, and other institutions and individuals recognised for their peace work. District 11, known as Cities of Palestine, is organised around technical cooperation with Palestinian cities, humanitarian action for Palestinian refugees and citizen solidarity and engagement.
