Barcelona hosts the first Philea congress, which brings together 10,000 European foundations

Until this Wednesday, June 1, Philea (Philanthropy Europe Association) is holding its annual congress in Barcelona with the participation of more than 600 people and with the ”la Caixa” Foundation as host.

Among other speakers, the director of the European Climate Foundation, Laurence Tubiana, will take part; the director of the International Organization for Migration, António Vitorino; and the director of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, Michael O'Flaherty. With the motto United Philanthropy. The time has now come for Philea to hold its first such conference as a philanthropic platform following the integration of the European Foundation Center (EFC) and the Donors and Foundations Networks in Europe (Daphne), organizers said in a statement.

“La Fundació ”la Caixa” és membre de l'European Foundation Centre des del 2010. També som membres de les associacions de fundacions espanyola i catalana des de fa més de trenta anys. We are convinced that without philanthropy the world would be much worse than it is. And when I talk about philanthropy, I also mean the work of the hundreds of social entities that are part of the network of the ”la Caixa” Foundation, without which we would not be able to reach the beneficiaries ”, explained Antoni Vila Bertrán, General Manager of the ”la Caixa” Foundation, during his speech at the opening of the conference.

During the development of the congress, dozens of conferences and round tables have taken place, with the conflict in Ukraine as a prominent topic but with three general axes, one of which is One Planet, One Health: Addressing the Foundations to Prevention of pandemics and other social or health threats (many, linked to the exploitation of natural resources), and also addresses the climatic perspective of the activities of the foundations. United in Diversity will look at how to develop resilience to inequalities (aggravated by Covid-19) and the North-South relationship to promote social inclusion. The third axis is Culture and creativity as catalysts for change to promote democracy and social cohesion, against social fractures, including digital.