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The Global Compact Cities Programme Supports the Sustainable Development Goals
City of Barcelona, SpainCity Scan Report 2015
This report summarises the City Scan submission from Barcelona City Council, which joined the United Nations Global Compact in February 2011.
The City Scan, launched in February 2015 by the Global Compact Cities Programme (or Cities Programme), assists cities in the identification of critical issues they are facing, and helps them to recognise and report on their strategies and initiatives to address these challenges using the lens of the Global Compact’s Ten Principles. It also seeks to identify the strengths of each city and celebrate their contribution in fostering sustainable, equitable and just urban communities.
The survey covers three main categories of municipal activity: City Development, City Sustainability and City Governance. Within these three categories, the cities are required to report on 22 topics areas, broken down into 157 issues or challenges. The data is collected from across the city or municipal government by the nominated focal point for the UN Global Compact (or another delegated staff member).
The City Scan also enables identification of engagement with the UN Global Compact and the Cities Programme and city-led initiatives that influence the business community to have better environmental and social practices.
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City HighlightsBarcelona is Spain’s second most populous city after Madrid and is the capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia.
This report provides information on the municipal activities of the Barcelona City Council through the lens of the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. They are grouped City Development, City Sustainability and City Governance.
In the area of City Development, Barcelona reported facing a number of major challenges, including the lack of employment opportunities for youth and generally high levels of unemployment. At the same time, there have been significant demographic changes in recent years as Barcelona transitions towards an ageing society. In this context, the City Council initiated the Barcelona Age-Friendly City Project to encourage the health and well-being of the elderly. Further the Vincles BCN project, designed to relieve the isolation of the elderly, won the 2014 Bloomberg Innovation Challenge Award.
With regard to City Sustainability, Barcelona City Council reported achievements and actions in the areas of waste management, water supply and sewerage. The council’s main challenges relate to urban air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from industry and transport. These issues are being tackled through measures contained in the 2011-2020 Energy, Climate Change and Air Quality Plan.
In terms of City Governance, Barcelona City Council reported improvements and actions in relation to the provision of IT infrastructure and staff development. The municipality works closely with Transparency International to implement measures to counter corruption through the provision of information.
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City of Barcelona
Country Spain
Province Catalonia
Geographic area 102 km2
Resident base population 1,602,386
City Scan information provided by: Mireia Belil Boladeras
Director General, Fundació Fòrum Universal de les Cultures
+34 93 342 789
Other contributors: Cristina Gabarró
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The Ten Principles and Barcelona
A summary of some of the key challenges facing the City of Barcelona, and municipal actions taken or initiatives underway relevant to the Ten Principles are presented below.
Global Compact Principles Key Challenges and Actions
Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and
Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
In the City Scan Survey, the principles related to Human Rights and Labour are addressed under City Development.
Barcelona City Council identified 22 critical issues under this category, including: women’s rights, discrimination, poverty, access to sports facilities, access to, and provision of, social care services, access to adequate housing, access to social or public housing, affordability and availability of housing, access to housing support services, persistent and/or increasing poverty, access to fair work, access to local employment, process to establish local enterprises, unemployment levels, access for women to employment opportunities, availability of cleaner transport options, safe passage of bicycles and safe pedestrian mobility. These are being tackled through a range of measures including the Barcelona Social Inclusion Plan, the Municipal Plan for Young People and Adolescents, the Barcelona Health Plan, Municpal Plan for the Elderly, and Municpal Paln for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men.
Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;
Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and
Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and
Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.
The environment related principles are addressed under City Sustainability.
In relation to City Sustainability, the municipality identified only three critical issues. These are air pollution levels and greenhouse gas emissions from industry and transportation. The municipality identified several city strengths in the area of potable water supply and sewerage treatment and disposal.
Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
Anti-corruption falls under the City Governance category.
Fifteen critical issues were identified in relation to City Governance, including public access to information, city leader accountability, transparency of political and procurement processes, accountability of city officials, public reporting against urban objectives, interest and the capacity of community to engage with municipal government, trust in local government, lack of formal processes for community engagement and lack of national government support.
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City Development Barcelona City Council identified twenty-two critical issues under the category of City Development. In relation to social inclusion and equity, the municipality identified women’s rights, discrimination and poverty as critical issues. In response, the Barcelona Social Inclusion Plan for 2012-2015 sets out a series of measures at the neighbourhood level to adapt social services so as to enhance the quality of life and well-being for all residents, but also for specific groups such as the elderly, children and adolescents, vulnerable people, the migrant population, women and people with disabilities.
The following sections present Barcelona City Council’s responses for each topic in relation to City Development, City Sustainability and City Governance.
A detailed breakdown of the survey response for each of the 157 issues is presented in the subsequent tables.
An area of particular concern is the lack of opportunities for young people, with the unemployment rate in the 16-19 age group standing at 56 per cent in 2011, and for the 20-24 age group at 40.7 per cent. This is compounded by a gradual rise in short-term employment contracts. At the same time, the option of studying is also less attractive because it no longer guarantees a qualified job. Consequently, the number of young people who are not in employment, training or education has grown to 23 per cent of all 18-24 year olds in Spain as of 2011.
In June 2012, there were some 110,521 unemployed people in Barcelona, nearly 70 per cent of whom have a low level of education (no education or incomplete primary education). There is also a relatively high level of unemployed individuals with a university education (16 per cent). Foreign-born people account for 21.1 per cent of the unemployed residents of Barcelona.
The municipality is dealing with significant demographic changes, particularly with the increase in the elderly population. In 2012, 20.8 per cent of the city’s population was over the age of 65, which amounts to a total of 338,509 people. Moreover, as life expectancy continues to improve (76.7 years in 1991 to 82.8 years in 2013), the proportion of the city’s elderly population that is aged over 80 years reached 34.3 per cent in 2013. A significant number of the elderly are living alone (25.7 per cent) and on low incomes (22.8 per cent).
Barcelona City Council has a number of initiatives in place to deal with these critical issues. For instance, in 2009, the municipality began the Barcelona Age–Friendly City Project, which encourages health and well-being amongst elderly citizens. Another project, called Vincles BCN, is designed to reduce the isolation of the elderly by creating a network of trusted ties that engages family, friends, social workers and volunteers. The project effectively uses technology to keep the elderly connected and, in 2014, won the Bloomberg’s Innovation Challenge Award.
Free education is available for all children aged between 6 and 16. However, the drop-out rate from compulsory secondary school education stood at 12.3 per cent in 2012. There were 219,058 students enrolled in university in Barcelona in 2012 and the proportion of the population with a university degree stood at 34%.
Increased access to employment is provided through Barcelona Activa, the executive agency responsible for the promotion of economic development activities in the city since 1986.
Barcelona is an important cultural centre, with 156 cultural festivals taking place each year, 32 cinemas, 55 museums, 57 performing arts auditoriums and three large concert auditoriums. The Culture Institute was established in 1996 to position culture as one of the primary assets for the development of the city through the management of municipal cultural facilities.
LEGEND6 - City Strength5 - Not of Concern4 - Little Concern3 - Moderate Concern2 - Major Concern1 - Critical Issue
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Social Inclusion and Equality
Education
Health and Wellbeing
Social Care Services
Food Security
Access to Adequate Housing
Access to Mobility and Public Transport
Community and Cultural Identity
Access to Employment
Fair Work
Public Safety and Security
City/Region Security
Human Rights Labour
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EnvironmentalSustainability
WaterManagement
Energy Security
WasteManagement and
Reduction
Climate ChangeMitigation
Climate ChangeAdaptation
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Environmental Sustainability
Water Management
Energy Security
Waste Managementand Reduction
Climate Change Mitigation
Climate Change Adaptation
With respect to mobility within the city, the use of public transport declined by 4.2 per cent between 2011 and 2012. Nevertheless, eco-mobility (public transport plus journeys made on foot or by bicycle) accounted for 82 per cent of all journeys, with a particular increase in the use of bicycles (+5.6 per cent). Between 1998 and 2011, the total street space designated for pedestrian right of way increased by 12 per cent.
Access to affordable housing remains a challenge for Barcelona. In recent years, however, the economic effort required by families to access new housing has been falling, as has the average rent price, compared the high rents of 2008. The Barcelona Housing Plan covers the period from 2008 to 2016 and targets groups that face difficulty accessing housing and groups at risk of losing their homes.
Barcelona City Council’s Social Action and Citizenship Department uses a range of management approaches to operate an extensive network of social services. Basic social care is provided by 37 social service centres, which are run by an independent local agency called the Municipal Social Service Institute that was established in 2010.
LEGEND6 - City Strength5 - Not of Concern4 - Little Concern3 - Moderate Concern2 - Major Concern1 - Critical Issue
Under the category of City Sustainability, Barcelona City Council highlighted three critical issues and six city strengths. One of the priority areas for action concerns the greening of the municipal operations under the +Sustainable City Council programme, which is part of Barcelona’s Agenda 21.
Within the city there is a total of 29 km2 of green space which works out at 17.87 m2 per resident, with 1.7 km2 of green space added since 1997.
Access to safe and potable water for all citizens is considered as a strength of the city. The consumption of drinking water in the city has dropped by 58 per cent in the past eight years as a result of increased groundwater use and improved water management. The total water use in 2012 was 162.2 litre per resident per day and, in the same year, the total annual use of drinking water fell below 97 million cubic meters for the first time.
Solid waste collection and management is a key strength of the city. Since 2007, the level of municipal waste generated per resident has been falling every year and in 2012 stood at 1.27 kg per resident per day. The total amount of municipal waste in 2012 stood at 753,735 tonnes.
Air pollution was identified as a critical issue by Barcelona City Council. According to the Barcelona Energy, Climate Change and Air Quality Plan (2011-2020), buildings account for the largest part of energy consumption in the city (58 per cent), followed by street lighting, waste collection and municipal vehicles. The three main goals of the plan are to reduce energy electricity consumption by 9 per cent, CO2 emissions by 16 per cent and improve overall air quality in the city by 2020. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from industry and transportation are key challenges.
One measure designed to reduce emissions is the introduction of a fleet of electric mopeds for the city police saving 87,660 litres of petrol and representing a 12,170 tonne reduction in CO2 emissions each year.
City Sustainability
Environment
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The main tool for fighting against corruption is access to information. The Municipal Transparency Index is implemented by Transparency International, the only global NGO dedicated to fighting corruption with a presence in more that 100 countries. Barcelona City Council is assessed annually by Transparency International, which focuses on 80 indices that are published online.
The City Council met all transparency indicators one year after the launch of the Open Government Project, which aims to make the Catalan capital a leader in transparency, participation and open data.
The Open Government online portal provides residents with in-depth information on what the council is doing, including the status of the budget, salaries of municipal employees and a range of other indicators.
Barcelona City Council promotes good practice in public participation and shares experience with associations that support the participation of citizens and good governance in the city.
With regard to City Governance, Barcelona City Council indicated that it is facing 15 critical issues. The council also identified six city strengths, mainly in relation to resources and leadership.
The city identified the following areas as key strengths: capacity to secure external funding, modern IT infrastructure, adequate staff skills, strength of community institutions, adequate and appropriate remuneration of public sector staff and appropriate number of staff. For example, in 2010, some 24.7 per cent of the population were participating in local associations of different kinds.
Barcelona City Council’s Strategic Framework 2012-2015 sets out the vision and objectives that the municipality seeks to achieve over the nominated four-year period. The Politics and Management Deal model underpins the strategic framework and lays down the political guidelines and how the policy will be implemented. This entails an evolution of the conventional planning tool – the municipal action plan. The core of the strategic framework consists of forging a link between planning and budgeting – the executive budget.
LEGEND6 - City Strength5 - Not of Concern4 - Little Concern3 - Moderate Concern2 - Major Concern1 - Critical Issue
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Transparency and
Accountability
Community Participation
Resources and Leadership
Anti-corruption in City and
Political Processes
City Governance
Anti - Corruption
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City Development
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1) Social Inclusion and Equality
Participation of indigenous peoples and minority ethnic groups ■
Women’s rights ■
Discrimination based on age, race, religion, gender, sexual preferences, ethnicity, etc. ■
Poverty ■
Other: (not specified) ■
2) Education
Access to education for children (early education up to 5 years old) ■
Access to higher education (vocational training, university, etc.) ■
Access to education for adults and elderly ■
Quality of education ■
Access to free education / high cost of education ■
Literacy ■
Access to post-primary education ■
Access to primary education ■
3) Health and Wellbeing
Access to adequate health care ■
Nutritional health of citizens ■
Substance abuse ■
Access and provision of health insurance ■
Access to sports facilities and/or programmes ■
Access to dental care ■
Access and/or availability of preventative care initiatives ■
Maternal and child health services ■
Other: Vaccination ■
4) Social Care Services
Access to social care services ■
Provision of social care services ■
Access to and/or provision of social security ■
5) Food Security
Access to nutritional food ■
Cost of food ■
Nutrition and related diseases (under-nourishment, obesity, diabetes, etc.) ■
Availability of food ■
Seasonal variability and/or access to food ■
6) Access to Adequate Housing
Access to adequate housing (housing quality) ■
Access to adequate social or public housing ■
Housing availability (housing stock) ■
Housing affordability ■
Access to housing support services and infrastructure (energy, water, etc) ■
Informal settlements ■
Land tenure ■
Availability of appropriate land for housing ■
Other: Evictions ■
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City Development
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7) Access to Mobility and Public Transport
Quality of public transport ■
Cost of public transport ■
Road quality ■
Cleaner transport options ■
Safe passage for bikes ■
Safe pedestrian mobility ■
Public transport connectivity ■
8) Community and Cultural Identity
Community identity ■
Support for cultural activities ■
Infrastructure and resources for cultural activities ■
Tolerance of cultural differences No information provided
Inclusion of cultural identities ■
Freedom to express cultural diversity ■
Protection of heritage ■
Artistic expression in the city/region ■
Respect for arts and heritage No information provided
9) Access to Employment
Safe and favourable working conditions ■
Unemployment ■
Access for women to employment opportunities ■
Access to maternity benefits ■
Access for marginalized and/or other ethnic groups to employment opportunities ■
Access to fair work ■
Access to local employment ■
Operational and/or business management issues
Process to establish local enterprises ■
10) Fair Work
Restrictions / freedom to join workers associations or trade unions ■
Activity of trade unions ■
Compulsory and forced labour ■
Child labour ■
Equal and fair pay ■
Discrimination based on age, gender, sexual preference, religion, ethnicity, etc. ■
11) Public Safety and Security
Persistent and/or increasing poverty ■
Migration (i.e. outgoing, incoming, uncontrolled migration) ■
Crime ■
Perception of safety (e.g. sense of danger or risk) ■
Perception of security (e.g. lack of support networks) ■
12) City/Region Security
Disaster risk management systems ■
Vulnerability to disasters (natural and human induced) ■
Capacity to respond to disasters ■
Terrorism ■
Warfare ■
Civil uprising and/or civil unrest ■
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City Sustainability
Cri
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Litt
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1) Environmental Sustainability
Sustainable practices in industry ■
Access to public green spaces ■
Natural resource management ■
Environmental pollution ■
Deforestation and land clearing ■
Air pollution ■
Ecosystems at risk (e.g. surrounding mangroves, grasslands, etc.) ■
Land management ■
Street tree coverage ■
2) Water Management
Access to safe and potable water for all citizens ■
Access to sufficient potable water ■
Water pollution ■
Water recycling and reuse ■
Sewerage infrastructure ■
Sewerage treatment and disposal ■
Localized or distributed water capture ■
Street drainage ■
3) Energy Security
Consistent access to energy for all citizens ■
Energy scarcity ■
Cost of energy ■
Clean energy alternatives ■
Dependency on non-renewable / fossil fuel energy ■
Street lighting coverage ■
Illegal access to energy supply network ■
Localized or distributed energy options ■
Energy efficient alternatives (e.g. light bulbs, appliances, buildings) ■
4) Waste Management and Reduction
Hazardous commercial and industrial waste ■
Levels of recycling ■
Litter ■
Waste management infrastructure ■
Solid waste collection and management ■
Unregulated burning of waste ■
Appropriate land for waste disposal ■
5) Climate Change Mitigation
Greenhouse gas (carbon) emissions from industry ■
Greenhouse gas (carbon) emissions from transport ■
Greenhouse gas (carbon) emissions from housing ■
Greenhouse gas (carbon) emissions from other buildings ■
Greenhouse gas (carbon) emissions from other sources ■
Greenhouse gas (carbon) emissions from city organisational operations ■
Greenhouse gas (carbon) emissions from waste ■
Greenhouse gas (carbon) emissions from land and agriculture ■
Community understanding of climate change issue ■
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City Governance
City Sustainability
Cri
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6) Climate Change Adaptation
Severe and/or prolonged droughts ■
Increased severity and/or frequency of extreme weather events ■
Slow onset impacts of climate change (i.e. slowly changing weather patterns: precipitation patterns, changing seasonal temperatures) ■
Sea level rise ■
Flooding ■
Landslides and/or unstable ground ■
Adequacy of infrastructure to deal with likely future impacts ■
Community capacity to prepare for and respond to above events ■
City staff capacity to prepare for and respond to above events ■
Cri
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1) Transparency and Accountability
Public access to city/region government information ■
Accountability of city leaders ■
Transparency of processes ■
Conflict of interest ■
Accountability of bureaucrats ■
Transparent procurement processes ■
Fair regulation enforcement ■
Public reporting against urban objectives ■
2) Community Participation
Capacity and skills within the community to engage with the local government ■
Interest from the community in engaging with the local/regional government ■
Trust in local/regional government ■
Recognized and/or formalized city processes of community engagement ■
Processes where community engagement can effect change ■
3) Resources and Leadership
Financial resources ■
Capacity to secure external funding ■
Leadership and management skills ■
Regional Internet provision ■
Modern IT infrastructure ■
Adequate staff skills ■
Strength of community institutions ■
Strength of private/business sector ■
State or national support ■
Adequate and appropriate remuneration of public sector staff ■
Appropriate number of staff ■
4) Anti-corruption in City and Political Processes
Political corruption ■
Bureaucratic corruption ■
Corruption in the private sector ■
Arbitrary and impartial judicial processes ■
LEGEND5 - Very frequently0 - Not at all
Engagement with the Private Sector on CSR
The graph below shows the way(s) and to what degree Barcelona City Council is working with the private sector.
Barcelona City Council’s influence on the business sector to have better environmental and social practices.
Other Mechanisms
recommended by the Cities Programme
Mechanisms used to
incentivise the business sector
• Promotional campaigns • Awards: The Barcelona City Council Awards• Training and capacity building: Barcelona Activa• Partnerships: Smart City Campus, Barcelona Institute of Technology
(BIT), 22@district, The PPP for cities. BCN Urban Resilience Partnership, City OS, Almogàvers Business Incubator, OAE - Business Support Office, Ateneus de Fabricació BCN / Open Challenge
• Incorporating environmental and social practices in public procurement
• Financial incentives: Incentives for new business• Code of conduct: BSM’s Code of Ethics• Accreditation: Marca Barcelona• Other: Strategic Plan for the Metropolitan Region
Other Mechanisms
recommended by the Cities Programme
• Regulatory (e.g. local laws or enforcing state or national laws)
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Business sector representationin city government
committees
Business sponsorship of City/Region 's initiatives
Partnering with the privatesector on social/community
projects
Formal and contractual Public – Private Partnerships (PPPs)
Other: Marketing andPromotion
Other:Joint management ofstrategic institutions
Photo Barcelona’s Universal forum of Cultures. Fundació Fórum Universal de les Cultures , 2004.
Communication on Engagement
Under the Communication on Engagement (COE) reporting mechanisms introduced in October 2013 by the UN Global Compact for non-business partners, cities are required to report on their activities to advance the Global Compact’s Ten Principles related to human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption and to engage with the Global Compact initiative.
Barcelona City Council is required to submit a COE report to the UN Global Compact by 31 October 2015.
The City Scan supports participating cities with their COE commitment by enabling them to reflect on and document on how their activities relate to the Global Compact principles and providing them with a platform for reporting on their activities.
The COE must also include a statement by the city’s most senior executive, such as the Mayor, expressing continued support for the Global Compact and renewing the participant’s ongoing commitment to the initiative and its principles (see www.unglobalcompact.org/participation/report/coe).
AboutThe Global Compact Cities Programme is the urban component of the United Nations Global Compact; the world’s largest corporate responsibility initiative. It is dedicated to the promotion and adoption of the Global Compact’s Ten UN Principles by cities, and provides a framework for translating the principles into day-to-day urban governance and management.
Administered by an International Secretariat based at the Global Cities Research Institute at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, the Cities Programme provides support, guidance and recognition to participating cities.
www.citiesprogramme.org
Contact Should you have any comments on this report please contact:
Brendan Barrett [email protected]
Sandra [email protected]
DisclaimerAll the information presented in this report has been provided by the city government and represents opinions of the city government and staff and refers to data and reports provided by the city government. This report does not, in any form, represent an independent assessment or evaluation of the city by the Global Compact Cities Programme.
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