The congress, promoted by the Lleida City Council, places women at the center of the debate on the present and future of cities. The mayor, Fèlix Larrosa Piqué, opened the event, advocating for gender equality as essential for social, democratic, and economic progress, while warning that achieved rights “are not guaranteed forever”.
The Minister of Equality and Feminism, Eva Menor Cantador, highlighted the role of municipalities in turning equality principles into daily realities and emphasized the importance of recovering women's memory. The deputy mayor, Carme Valls Llaràs, stated that a feminist perspective is already integrated into the city's main municipal policies.
The congress coordinator, Verònica Martínez París, focused on the memory of women who have transformed society and highlighted the participatory process that shaped the event, collecting over 3,200 proposals.
The inaugural conference, delivered by sociologist Marina Subirats Martori, focused on the need to consider urban spaces with women in mind and defended feminism as a tool to improve life for everyone in society.
The first roundtable, “Right to Economic Justice,” addressed women's economic independence as a prerequisite for real equality, with contributions from experts such as Matilde Fernández Sanz, Carmen Castro Garcia, Carla Celda, and Marta López Preil.
The congress, taking place today and tomorrow, aims to go beyond knowledge exchange and contribute to building proposals with continuity in municipal public policies, making Lleida a meeting point for social transformation through proximity.
