The training sessions on diversity and interculturality have helped part of the municipal workforce to learn to interpret the reality of a diverse city like Barcelona, to identify possible rights violations in everyday situations and to activate the corresponding mechanisms to guarantee rights. In short, City Council workers should act as human rights guardians.

Barcelona City Council presented its training plan on human rights and diversity in December 2016 as part of the municipal government measure ‘Barcelona, City of Rights’. The aim of the measure is to turn Barcelona into a pioneering city in the defence of human rights.

Since the plan was set up, a total of 469 municipal workers have taken 25 different courses, representing 178 hours of training. The courses mainly involve staff who come into direct contact with the public, such as social services workers, citizen help and support office workers and the city police.

Schoolteachers will also receive training in 2018 via an agreement with the education consortium and the prevention techniques department.