Strengthening coexistence in the city, addressing diversity as an opportunity for social cohesion and social development are the objectives that have motivated the creation of the Municipal Plan for Coexistence and Interculturality 2030 of the Zaragoza City Council. It will be the road map that will follow the city in the coming years in terms of social policies. The Minister of Social Policies, Marian Orós, has underlined the “cozy” character of the city and the “quality” of the resources that the City Council makes available from the House of Cultures.
The elaboration of the document, which has had the contributions of 396 different people, tries to facilitate the incorporation of newcomers to the city and their inclusion, and, on the other hand, to advance in the construction of a cozy and inclusive city, “with the best possible quality of life for all people and that bets on equal opportunities”. Therefore, the plan is structured in four strategic lines: reception, coexistence, communication and transversality.
Four strategic axes
The main objectives of the reception are to guarantee information, training and accompaniment in the first months of stay. In this sense, a comprehensive reception service will be offered with information and guidance, specific support to asylum applicants in a vulnerable situation, overcome linguistic barriers through Spanish training and translation services, and facilitate transition towards autonomy with support in insertion itineraries.
The coexistence axis promotes interaction between people from different cultures in order to strengthen social cohesion, through the organization of community and cultural activities in the neighborhoods, the promotion of the participation of a diverse population in neighborhood and social spaces, the implementation of awareness programs to combat stereotypes and prejudices, and the strengthening of intercultural mediation as a tool to prevent conflicts.
The communication and visibility underlines the importance of disseminating intercultural work to prevent discrimination and foster inclusive image, through collaboration with media to avoid exclusive speeches, improvement in the dissemination of awareness campaigns, the use of social networks and influencers to generate positive content about the diversity and formation of groups of young people who support digital diffusion.
For its part, the axis of transversality and collaboration raises the need to integrate diversity in all municipal policies, working in a coordinated manner with different areas, through the decentralization of intercultural activities to reach more neighborhoods, the improvement in the coordination between municipal services and social entities, the incorporation of intercultural mediators in public services and the promotion of the training of professionals and officials in management of diversity.
Immigration grew by 10% in 2023
According to the latest official figures of the municipal register, relating to January 1, 2024, during the year 2023 the foreign population grew by 10 %, reaching 107,863 residents. The largest community remains the Romanian (23,430 people), followed by Nicaragua, Colombia, Morocco and China. The distribution of these groups in the city is unequal: Delicias is the neighborhood with the largest number of immigrants (26,696), followed by San José, historic center and the sources.
The gypsy community is the most numerous cultural minority in Europe. According to the data collected by the Aragonese strategy, in Aragon, more than 14,000 people represent, and in Saragossa around 5,600. Although progress has been made in their inclusion, inequalities persist in education, employment, housing and health. Racism and discrimination continue to affect this population, as evidenced by recent studies. Therefore, the City Council is committed to strategies to promote inclusion and equal opportunities, make visible diversity and promote gypsy participation in public life.
