Justícia i Pau is a Christian organisation that strives to be faithful to the evangelical mission of the Second Vatican Council. The organisation has been established in Catalonia since 1968 working to promote and defend human rights, justice, peace, solidarity and respect for the environment.
Justícia i Pau works to disseminate information and raise awareness among the general public. We put pressure on governmental institutions and political parties using such means as public campaigns, academic and informational publications, lectures and seminars, and the mass media.
Among the tasks Justícia i Pau undertakes are: speaking out against torture and other human rights violations; carrying out activities aimed at encouraging increases in official aid to development, cancellation of the external debt of poor countries and fair conditions in international trade; drawing attention to the perverse effects of militarism, military spending, and the arms trade and bringing pressure to bear in favour of disarmament; promoting ethical banking, fair trade and responsible consumption; demanding measures be taken to combat poverty and social marginalisation; defending the rights and social integration of prisoners.
Justícia i Pau funds itself by various means while being very careful to maintain its independence. While its members share the goal of transforming the society and world of today, in every other sense there is a great variety of points of view.
Besides the contributions of members and individual donors, the organisation receives funding for its operations from the City of de Barcelona, the Caixa de Terrassa, and the Archbishopric of Barcelona.
Organisational structure
The organisation is legally constituted as a association under canon law and registered as a religious organisation with the Ministry of Justice. Its structure consists of a General Assembly, the sovereign body made up of all members, and the Governing Board, made up of the president, two vice-presidents, a secretary, and five other members, which runs the organisation.
The current governing board is made up of Arcadi Oliveres (president), Tica Font (first vice-president) Francesc Benítez (second vice-president), Joan Gomez, (secretary), Pere Ortega, Elisenda Salomó, Mireia Siles, Jesús Castro, Emili Aldabó and Enric Muñarch and Josep Maria Fisa (episcopal delegate). The governing board meets on a regular basis with representantives of the organisation’s local and issue-related committees.
The director (currently Eduard Ibáñez) is named by the Governing Board and is in charge of management and overall coordination of activities. In addition, the organisation has four full-time employees. Most activities are carried out by the issue committees, groups of volunteers who work on specific issues. The committees currently operating are. Fourth World; the J. M. Delas Centre for Peace Studies; Women; the Centre for Information on the Kurdish People; Children’s Issues; Prisons; and Economic Solidarity.
Organisations with which we work
Justícia i Pau is a member of the following Catalan federations and alliances: Federació Catalana d'ONG pel Desenvolupament, Federació Catalana d'ONG pels Drets Humans, Federació Catalana d'ONG per la Pau, Fons Català de Cooperació al Desenvolupament, Universitat Internacional de la Pau de Sant Cugat, Finançament Ètic i Solidari (FETS), Fòrum d'Organitzacions Catòliques d'Adults, Taula per la Pau i els Drets Humans a Colòmbia, Federació d'Organitzacions Catalanes Internacionalment Reconegudes (FOCIR), Federació Catalana de Voluntariat Social, Plataforma Aturem la Guerra, Plataforma pel Dret a un Habitatge Digne, among others.
It is also a member of the following international organisations: Bureau International Catholique de l'Enfance (BICE), Organització Mundial contra la Tortura (OMCT), Xarxa Europea contra el Comerç d'Armes, International Coalition for Development Action, International Service for Humans Rights, International Peace Bureau, Youth for Development and Cooperation, OneWorld, Coalició d'ONG pel Tribunal Pena Internacional, etc.
It is currently a member of various government consultative bodies such as the City of Barcelona´s Municipal Social Welfare Council, and the Catalan Department of Justice’s among others.
