{"id":6312,"date":"2026-04-16T09:13:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T09:13:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redagenda2030.es\/noticia\/femp-brings-together-young-people-local-representatives-and-institutions-to-strengthen-alliances-around-the-2030-agenda\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T09:13:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T09:13:26","slug":"femp-brings-together-young-people-local-representatives-and-institutions-to-strengthen-alliances-around-the-2030-agenda","status":"publish","type":"noticia","link":"https:\/\/redagenda2030.es\/en\/noticia\/femp-brings-together-young-people-local-representatives-and-institutions-to-strengthen-alliances-around-the-2030-agenda\/","title":{"rendered":"FEMP brings together young people, local representatives, and institutions to strengthen alliances around the 2030 Agenda."},"content":{"rendered":"

Madrid, April 15, 2026.- The Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) hosted the “Youth Generating Alliances 2030” meeting at its headquarters this Tuesday, as part of the events organized to mark the 45th Anniversary of the federation’s creation<\/strong>. This event was designed to bring the 2030 Agenda closer to young people from a practical, local, and participatory perspective. The event gathered young people, institutional representatives, municipal officials, entrepreneurs, and impact ecosystem agents with a shared objective: to strengthen the connection between institutions and young citizens and to advance in building real alliances to promote the Sustainable Development Goals from local territories.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

\"Participants<\/p>\n

The institutional opening featured the participation of Luis Mart\u00ednez-Sicluna, Secretary General of FEMP; David Perejil, Director General of the 2030 Agenda at the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs, and 2030 Agenda; and Jos\u00e9 Solano, President of FEMP’s Youth Commission. In their speeches, all three agreed on a central idea: the 2030 Agenda will only be effective if it is perceived by young people as a useful, accessible tool linked to the real problems of daily life. <\/p>\n

During the opening, Luis Mart\u00ednez Sicluna welcomed attendees to the “Home of Spanish Municipalism” and emphasized the value of this meeting space between public institutions and youth for continuing to advance towards “a more just and democratic world.” The Secretary General of FEMP highlighted that the active participation of young people, their critical perspective, their opinions, and their commitment are the elements that give meaning to this type of initiative. In this regard, he recalled the work that the Network of Local Entities for the 2030 Agenda, comprising over 750 local entities, has been carrying out since 2020, and argued that the success of the 2030 Agenda depends on young people feeling it as something close, their own, and capable of transforming society and municipalities<\/strong>. He also stressed that talking about youth implies talking about housing, decent employment, equal opportunities, and all those issues that condition the life projects of new generations. <\/p>\n

\"Luis
Luis Mart\u00ednez-Sicluna, Secretary General of FEMP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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For his part, David Perejil emphasized active listening and participation adapted to the characteristics of the young population. He argued that the 2030 Agenda is, at the same time, a universal mandate and a profoundly local one, because every public policy must be grounded in the specific reality of each territory and each group. In his speech, he noted that the young population is essential not only as recipients of policies but also as necessary interlocutors for defining them<\/strong>. Perejil linked this idea to intergenerational equity and the duty of administrations to also think long-term, incorporating into every regulation, budget, or public action the impact these decisions will have on future generations. He also championed the 2030 Agenda as a common framework for shared well-being<\/strong>, prosperity within planetary boundaries, and cooperation among administrations, civil society, universities, the private sector, and citizens. <\/p>\n

\"David
David Perejil, Director General of the 2030 Agenda at the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs, and 2030 Agenda<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Jos\u00e9 Solano, President of FEMP’s Youth Commission, presented the 2030 Agenda as a common framework that organizes and aligns a way of governing that municipalism has been developing for years through proximity, sustainability, participation, and efficient management of scarce resources. Solano argued that local councils have historically worked with a forward-looking perspective and that the 2030 Agenda helps systematize this shared effort. He also warned about the impact of disinformation and fake news, and called for combating them with role models, meetings like the one held at FEMP, and a network of alliances capable of translating what is learned in these spaces into daily life<\/strong>. Along these lines, he demanded that not only young people be present in these forums, but also in institutional positions, to be able to hear firsthand the demands and expectations of new generations. <\/p>\n

\"Jos\u00e9
Jos\u00e9 Solano, President of FEMP’s Youth Commission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Following the institutional opening, the panel “Youth and the 2030 Agenda” took place, moderated by Blanca Traves\u00ed, co-founder of U4IMPACT. It offered a framework for reflection supported by a key idea: there is a paradox between a highly educated, connected generation with continuous access to information, and a widespread perception of disconnection from the institutions that should represent them<\/strong>. From there, the panel brought together voices from municipalism, social entrepreneurship, and the impact sector to delve into the reasons for this distance and possible solutions. <\/p>\n

This panel included Paloma Jim\u00e9nez G\u00f3mez, Mayor of Saelices; Daniel Garc\u00eda Ruiz, Mayor of Labastida; Javier Casc\u00f3n, social entrepreneur; and In\u00e9s Montero, a professional in the field of alliances and impact entrepreneurship. All of them shared very different trajectories, but driven by the same impulse: to stop waiting for changes to come from outside and to assume direct responsibility for the problems identified in their environments. <\/p>\n

\"Participants<\/p>\n

Paloma Jim\u00e9nez explained that her political involvement stems from the conviction that much more could be done in her municipality than was being done, and from a personal and emotional connection to her town. She argued that the objective of local action should be to create real opportunities so that those who leave their towns do so by choice and not out of obligation. From this experience, she advocated for close and useful municipal politics, highlighting the value of direct communication with citizens, sharing her town council’s experience with WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram channels to inform residents about municipal actions, activities, and initiatives<\/strong>. She also pointed out that often the negative perception of politics is fueled by the image conveyed by social media and traditional media, and she wanted to convey a message of trust in local politics that works closely to address real problems. <\/p>\n

Daniel Garc\u00eda Ruiz emphasized that municipal politics is probably the most direct and tangible form of public service, as it requires responding to concrete and daily needs: from basic services to addressing personal, social, or economic situations. He explained that, in his opinion, the main cause of the distance between young citizens and the administration is not just a matter of language, but, above all, the lack of visible results. When public policies do not translate into tangible solutions in areas such as housing, employment, or opportunities, trust suffers. Alongside this, he advocated for the need to strengthen social co-responsibility and to build alliances between administration and citizens, providing very specific examples of local management, such as coexistence, responsible water use, or proper waste management\u2014seemingly small issues, but profoundly revealing of the link between sustainable development and daily life. <\/p>\n

\"SDG<\/p>\n

Javier Casc\u00f3n brought a deeply social and community-focused perspective to the debate, centered on access to housing and care for people experiencing homelessness. From his experience as a promoter of a project to purchase and transfer housing for homeless people, he argued that change begins when someone stops viewing a problem as something external.<\/strong> He highlighted the need to build family and community as the basis of a more just society and called for much more direct involvement from individuals and their immediate surroundings. In his speech, he also focused on the use of time, dependence on social media, and the need to regain attention, connections, and a sense of community. He asserted that noise does not always bring about transformation and that, often, the best initiatives are those sustained by coherence, daily work, and the ability to generate real opportunities. <\/p>\n

In\u00e9s Montero, for her part, positioned her contribution at the intersection of youth, social impact, and global dimension. She recalled that her vocation for this field stems from early contact with realities marked by inequality and argued that impact work only makes sense if it translates into decent employment, opportunities, and support for entrepreneurship where it is most needed. From her professional experience, she highlighted the role that the private sector can also play in achieving the SDGs and championed the value of multilateralism and small, concrete solutions. In her speech, she insisted that when policies work effectively, it is not always necessary to constantly label them as the 2030 Agenda: the important thing is that they improve people’s lives. <\/p>\n

One of the most relevant debates of the panel revolved around social media and its dual nature as a useful tool and a high-risk space for disinformation. From different approaches, participants agreed that social media can help bring public policies and institutions closer to young people, but only if used with criteria of transparency, utility, and understandable language. In contrast, information overload, loss of attention, and the difficulty for public entities to compete with digital environments designed for rapid consumption and hyperstimulation were also highlighted. <\/p>\n

The panel concluded with a shared idea: youth are not indifferent to commitment or disconnected from collective problems. On the contrary, there is a clear willingness to get involved, but this requires more accessible channels, visible results, less bureaucratic language, and greater openness from institutions to listening, participation, and co-responsibility<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

Next, the event moved to the co-creation and innovation workshop coordinated by Jos\u00e9 Correa, from Sustainable & Co, which brought together mixed groups of young people and representatives of local entities to work on three major issues: how to improve communication between local councils and youth, how to facilitate youth municipal participation, and how to provide accurate information about the 2030 Agenda to young citizens. The dynamic, based on the “solution-blockage-solution” framework, allowed for the identification of real barriers and their conversion into concrete and viable proposals. <\/p>\n

\"Participants<\/p>\n

Among the ideas that emerged during this process, the following stood out: the convenience of incorporating greater generational parity in municipal decision-making spaces; creating local youth councils and stable channels for participation; reserving a portion of participatory budgets for projects designed and prioritized by young people; strengthening youth departments; facilitating internships and experiences to bring young people closer to institutions; recognizing volunteering as a valuable experience for youth employability; and fostering spaces for associations, clubs, or forums that allow social interest to be translated into sustainable participation structures.<\/p>\n

Very specific measures were also proposed regarding public communication, such as the implementation of WhatsApp or Telegram dissemination channels; the creation of content managed by young people themselves to speak to their peers in their own codes and platforms; the simplification of administrative language and public budgets through easy-to-read formats; the use of verified accounts and valuable content to counteract hoaxes; collaboration with micro-influencers and diverse role models; and the application of artificial intelligence tools to channel queries, organize responses, and improve interaction between citizens and local administrations. In the educational field, it was proposed to integrate the SDGs into the curriculum and into complementary and extracurricular activities, as a way to normalize a sustainable development approach connected to daily reality from an early age. <\/p>\n

\"Participants<\/p>\n

From the Network of Local Entities for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it was also emphasized that the proposals collected in this workshop will be systematized and elevated to the working groups<\/strong>, with the purpose of serving as a basis for new lines of action and future meetings aimed at generating alliances around the 2030 Agenda.<\/p>\n

The third major part of the event was dedicated to the communication workshop “2030 Agenda and Social Media,” led by Patricia Fern\u00e1ndez. From her experience as a journalist and communicator, she argued that no transformation is possible if public policies, European initiatives, or institutional strategies are not translated into messages understandable to citizens. Under the idea of bringing seemingly distant decisions “from Brussels to your neighborhood,” the journalist worked with attendees on the need to always consult official sources, thoroughly understand what is being communicated, translate technical language into everyday terms, think in terms of citizen benefit, and give topics a positive and purposeful approach. <\/p>\n

The practical exercise proposed during this block allowed participants to work on concrete examples of European policies and initiatives, such as the elimination of roaming charges, the Erasmus program, the single-use plastics directive, or the Next Generation funds<\/strong>. Based on these cases, the groups reflected on how to connect these policies with tangible benefits for citizens: traveling and communicating without extra costs, accessing international educational opportunities, reducing waste and microplastics, improving local services and infrastructure, or generating new training and employment opportunities. The main conclusion of the workshop was clear: public communication is only effective when it abandons abstraction, lands on recognizable examples, and simply explains how a policy improves people’s lives. <\/p>\n

At the close of the meeting, Patricia Fern\u00e1ndez summarized the day’s journey, recalling that it began by discussing barriers, challenges, and disinformation, and ended by talking about solutions, alliances, and cooperation among diverse profiles. She highlighted the value of bringing together students, young professionals, municipal representatives, institutional officials, and change agents in the same space, and emphasized that this combination clearly encapsulates the spirit of both the 2030 Agenda and the European project itself: working together from different fields to address common challenges. <\/p>\n

\"Participants<\/p>\n

The event concluded with a call to keep alive the connections created during the meeting, to continue conversing despite differences, and to strengthen alliances among youth, institutions, and civil society. The final networking space served precisely to extend this exchange and open new connections among participants committed to the same idea: the 2030 Agenda will only advance if it is built from the local level, with listening, with truth, with public education, and with real and sustained youth participation over time. <\/p>\n

\"Participants<\/p>\n

“Youth Generating Alliances 2030” concludes with a clear message: youth cannot be treated solely as recipients of messages or policies, but as active protagonists of change. And for this involvement to be effective, administrations must open spaces, share language, offer results, and recognize that sustainability, social justice, and democracy are strengthened when built in alliance. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n