Alicante Residents Can Participate in Designing Anti-Discrimination Policies for the Coming Years

The Public Rights Department has initiated a public participation process to design a new Municipal Strategy for Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination. Through this procedure, the Alicante City Council seeks to involve citizens in collaboratively designing the roadmap that will guide municipal policies on migrant integration over the next four years.

This citizen participation initiative follows the recent approval by the Governing Board of the project to create a Local and Zonal Council for Inclusion and Social Rights, which will give voice to social, neighborhood, and professional associations, unions, and political groups in developing policies and actions regarding social services.

Begoña León, Councilor for Public Rights, explains that "with this participation process, we are giving citizens a voice to tell us what policies they would like us to develop in terms of integration and non-discrimination." León invites Alicante residents to "participate in this consultation process because inclusion is everyone's business, and we must get involved to achieve a society that guarantees equitable treatment for all citizen groups."

The Alicante City Council is pioneering in the province by implementing a framework strategy for equal treatment and non-discrimination. This strategy will be valid for four years (2025-2028) and will include new programs on immigration based on the conclusions of the recently conducted Exploratory Diagnostic Study on Discrimination Against Migrants in Alicante City, as well as the results of the participatory process.

León points out that "the new strategy will incorporate the most impactful programs for migrant care, such as the collaboration network with asylum and refugee entities, services from Pangea offices, social cohesion programs in schools, or ongoing training for migrants." Additionally, she notes, "new programs will be designed based on a rigorous analysis of the current situation, reflected in the Exploratory Diagnostic Study on Discrimination Against Migrants in Alicante City, as well as the results of the participation process."

The public participation survey is open to all citizens until September 30th on the municipal website at alicante.es/es/noticias/proceso-participativo-estrategia-igualdad-trato-y-no-discriminacion. It consists of 10 questions addressing participants' perceptions of how Alicante's citizens treat migrants and the importance they place on actions developed by public administration, social entities, and citizens against discrimination.

Participants can also express their opinions on various measures' influence on improving coexistence: stricter rules and sanctions, value education, awareness campaigns, public information points, and promoting migrant participation. Lastly, there is space for proposals.

The main objectives set for the Municipal Strategy for Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination include providing or modifying programs and activities that encourage migrant participation in public life within the municipality and articulating local policies that promote the integration of groups at risk of exclusion or needing particular attention.

To achieve this, a document will be generated summarizing the programming and scheduling of social actions over the next four years while also establishing communication and information channels among involved social agents. In this regard, a few days ago, the Alicante City Council approved a project regulation to create a Local and Zonal Council for Inclusion and Social Rights under the Department of Social Welfare. This council will give voice to social, neighborhood, and professional associations, unions, and political groups in promoting, developing, and analyzing these actions' results.