Friday, November 30, 2007 - 14:00h

International Catalan Institute for Peace

To advance the cause of Peace
Creation of a pioneering body in Spain to mediate in international conflicts, which, it is hoped, will become a leading internatonal centre

The Catalan Parliament has passed the International Catalan Institute for Peace (ICIP) Bill, which authorises the creation of an independent organisation devoted to promoting the culture of peace, mediation in conflicts, research and training. This is a pioneering body in Spain, set up in response to the desire to make Catalonia an internationally recognised participant in peace initiatives, taking as models other leading public centres, such as the SIPRI in Sweden, the TAPRI in Finland and the USIP in the United States.

The Institute will be dedicated to promoting the culture of peace, mediatiing in conflicts, support ing social organisations and movements, carrying out scientific research in the field, advising governments and training experts in conflict resolution.

This new organisation has been set up under the auspices of the Generalitat Office for the Promotion of Peace and Human Rights (Department of the Interior, Institutional Relations and Participation).