Donostia-San Sebastián

Gariwo chairman Gabriele Nissim, in his capacity as Vicepresident of the Association for Milan's Garden of the Righteous chaired by city Mayor Giuliano Pisapia, is attending meeting Encounter between cities destroyed by war, an event set out by the Basque city of San Sebastián to commemorate the bicentenary of the destruction and reconstruction of Donostia/San Sebastián in 1813, when the city was attacked, set ablaze and plundered by the Anglo-Portuguese troops during the freeing of the city from the French during the Peninsular War.

It dovetails directly with the strategy that the city has been developing for many years and which is reflected in the Strategic Plan 2020 (within the “City of Persons” focal point in the “San Sebastián, a Space for the Culture of Peace” project). This is continued in the current E2020DSS Strategy (within the “Persons and Values” strategic focal point, whose main objectives include “to drive grassroots and educational policies that consolidate the importance of the culture of peace” and “to drive the generation of social capital by means of fostering the values, by empowering citizen participation”) and, specifically, with the “Culture of Peace” project.

The Aiete House of Peace and Human Rights (opened in 2010) emerged from the aforementioned city strategy committed to human rights, as an instrument for grassroots awareness-raising and lobbying, reconciliation and study, reflection and debate about Peace in its widest sense.Similarly, Donostia/San Sebastián will be the European Capital of Culture in 2016 along with the Polish city of Wroclaw. The programme that helped Donostia/San Sebastián be selected as European Capital of Culture 2016 is based on three main focal points: Lighthouse of Peace, Lighthouse of Life and Lighthouse of Voices; three areas of social interest to transform and improve coexistence in Europe. The event directly dovetails in the Lighthouse of Peace, which revolves around the culture of peace and educating in values, “conflict, coexistence, non-violence, human rights, empathy, difference,...”, as being the cultural capital in 2016 has to continue to drive the actions, links and commitments generated in this meeting and expand its impact.