Barcelona, Catalonia, is now in the public participation phase of the selection process for the city’s next Síndic de Greuges, or ombudsman. David Bondia and Gemma Calvet are the two candidates for the five-year post, which defends fundamental rights and public freedoms for everyone in Barcelona, including non-residents, according to Barcelona City Council.
From 1 June at 10am until 30 June at 11:59pm, residents and registered civic organisations can show support for either candidate. The council says this is the third consecutive time it has used this participatory model, which was first introduced in 2016. More information on the city’s participation tools is available through our news coverage and the council’s own platform, Decidim.Barcelona.
The council says the aim is to bring the ombudsman’s office closer to residents and increase public participation, so that views can reach the Municipal Council Plenary. People can take part through Decidim.Barcelona, where the candidates are presented, and through physical support points in each district. To participate, a person must be registered as a resident of Barcelona and be aged 16 or over. An institutional communication campaign will also run to explain the ombudsman’s functions, the election method and the candidates.
After the public participation phase, the process moves to a July stage in which municipal technical teams will prepare a report and share it with the different municipal groups. The Municipal Council Plenary is expected to make the final decision in September, and a two-thirds majority is required to elect the new ombudsman. The formal appointment could take place in November.
David Bondia is the current Síndic de Greuges of Barcelona and is seeking re-election. He has received support from 50 city organisations so far. Bondia also chairs the Global Alliance of Local Ombudspersons (AGOL). His previous roles include president of the Human Rights Institute of Catalonia (IDHC), work with the Catalan Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture (MCPT), and posts with EuroMed Rights, the Human Rights Structure of Catalonia and the Catalan Council for the Promotion of Peace. He has also taken part in international missions with the European Union, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the Council of Europe and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Bondia is a senior lecturer in public international law and international relations at the University of Barcelona (UB). He helped draft and adopt the European Charter for the Safeguarding of Human Rights in the City and the Human Rights Plan of Catalonia. He has also advised local ombudsman offices in several municipalities and the Forum of Local Ombudsmen.
Gemma Calvet is a jurist with more than 30 years of experience in defending fundamental rights, social policies and work with the third sector. She has worked in public executive management and consultancy on good governance and ethics, and has received support from three city organisations so far. Calvet has taken part in Barcelona City Council participation bodies and has worked with the European Commission, the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Calvet has also served as director of the Transparency Agency in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), as a member of parliament, and as president of the Justice and Human Rights Commission in the Parliament of Catalonia. She was a member of the Ethics Committee of the Catalan Police within the Generalitat de Catalunya’s Interior Department. She helped draft the Charter of Rights and Duties of Barcelona Citizens, approved by the City Council in 2010, and promoted and coordinated the Lorenzetti Programme for good governance, linked to the UN. She now works as a lawyer and consultant from her own firm, specialising in good governance, human rights, integrity and public ethics.
