Maria Eugènia Gay meets with Ukrainian activist Sasha Romantsova

Barcelona's Deputy Mayor and the Director of the Center for Civil Liberties discuss peace and human rights.

Generic image of two hands shaking over a wooden desk, with warm office lighting.
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Generic image of two hands shaking over a wooden desk, with warm office lighting.

Barcelona's Deputy Mayor, Maria Eugènia Gay, met with Oleksandra ‘Sasha’ Romantsova, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties (CCL), winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, to discuss peace and human rights.

The meeting, part of the ‘Dialogues for Peace’ series, highlighted Romantsova's trajectory as a defender of peace and human rights, as well as the work of Ukrainian organizations in documenting war crimes and defending civil society. Both emphasized the responsibility of local institutions in defending peace, justice, and fundamental rights.
Maria Eugènia Gay stated that “lasting peace requires much more than the silence of weapons; it demands truth, justice, and the guarantee that human rights violations do not go unpunished.” She added that “defending the dignity of victims is also defending the foundations of democracy and international law.” Gay concluded that “Barcelona assumes this commitment with determination, from active solidarity with the Ukrainian people to the promotion of BCN4Peace, because we are convinced that cities have their own responsibility in building a just, solid, and lasting peace.”
The project BCN4Peace was discussed, an initiative promoted by the Catalan Institute for International Peace (ICIP), the Delàs Center for Peace Studies, NOVACT, and the Barcelona City Council, to strengthen the city's position as a benchmark in the global peace agenda.
The meeting also reaffirmed Barcelona's solidarity with the Ukrainian population. Since the start of the war, the City Council, along with Barcelona Firefighters and the Port of Barcelona, has coordinated four humanitarian missions, donating eight fire engines. Transportes Metropolitanos de Barcelona (TMB) sent ten buses in 2025, and electric generators and other aid have been sent through the Convent de Santa Clara Foundation.
Based on information from the official source: Ajuntament de Barcelona - Sala de premsa (16/10/2026)