Albacete, Madrid, May 18, 2022.- As of today, FEMP and the Network of Local Entities for the 2030 Agenda have the collaboration of the University of Castilla-La Mancha to promote compliance with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), after signing this morning at the UCLM campus in Albacete a framework collaboration agreement: the Secretary General of FEMP, Carlos Daniel Casares, and the Rector of the University, José Julián Garde, signed the agreement which, in Casares’ view, marks “an important milestone, joining forces and building alliances to achieve the 17 SDGs” and represents an “alliance that will make the path towards that achievement easier”.

The Secretary General of FEMP referred to the collaboration that the Federation has been maintaining with various universities in certain programmes, and stressed that Castilla-La Mancha is the first to join the 2030 Agenda project, a point also highlighted by the Mayor of Palma and President of the 2030 Network, José Hila, who was present at the signing ceremony. He also noted that the Network’s various working groups advocated from the outset for the University’s presence in teams that also include businesses, trade unions and civil society.

José Julián Garde explained that this framework agreement will be implemented through specific agreements for actions along three defined lines: research, training and knowledge transfer. The various initiatives undertaken, together with the territorial dimension provided by FEMP, will help to contribute to local development and promote the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. In an area with such an extensive rural environment, the line of collaboration opened today will make it possible to deepen the UCLM Rural Programme they have been developing, a programme that “has worked very well and can now have a broader reach with FEMP’s territorial support”, the Rector said.

The Rector, who drew attention to the fact that the signing of the agreement takes place as 40 years have passed since the creation of FEMP and the Law that provided for the creation of the University, added that within the framework of the agreement it will be possible to develop specialised training actions for elected officials and local employees, undertake research projects, internships for students and exchange knowledge in the fields of teaching, scientific research and sustainable development.

Also present at the signing of the framework agreement was Amparo Torres, Second Vice-President of the Provincial Council of Albacete, who highlighted the progress made by local councils in the area of sustainability, stressing that “they are very well prepared to meet the 17 objectives of the 2030 Agenda”.

Panel discussion

The signing ceremony this morning preceded the 2nd Panel Discussion of the Network of Local Entities for the 2030 Agenda and Academic Entities, in which representatives of the Universities of Castilla-La Mancha, Valencia, Loyola and Complutense University of Madrid, moderated by Federico Buyolo, an expert on the 2030 Agenda, analysed the role of the university institution in the process of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals when the deadline for their implementation is at the halfway point.

The panel discussion brought the two working days of the 2030 Network held in Albacete to a close.