The Barcelona Consensus was born in opposition and as an alternative to the Washington Consensus which defines the essence of the neoliberal economic agenda sharedy by the establishment around the world (World Bank, IMF, governments, US congress and senate, banks, multinationals and lobbies). It has been a relentless political project that has developed and continues developing the world in favour of privileged minorities.

The global crisis asks for global solutions. Solutions which cannot come from those who have caused the crisis, that have accepted it or have taken advantage of it. Therefore, it is necessary to redefine the rules of the game. The system has to favour the common good, that is to say provide sustainable coverage of the basic needs for all the world’s population. It is time to generate a world habitable for everybody.

With this aims in view, the Barcelona Consensus was developed in 2008 and has been elaborated ever since. If you’d like to know more about the drafting and the preparation of the participatory process of the Barcelona Consensus access the original project draft here (2008).

What is the Barcelona Consensus about?

• It proposes an intercultural alternative to the neoliberal globalization created and favouring the “North”.
• It is an answer to the systematic crisis that we are living at present.
• It is an alternative to the Consensus of Washington.
• It is a new social, political and economic agreement to achieve a livable world for everybody.
• It is a call for public action, a commitment to intervention.

What is it proposing?

7 transitions:

• A participatory and deliberative democracy
• Environmental sustainability
• A social, equitable and sustainable economy
• A non-speculative financial system
• A society of shared knowledge and democratic communication
• A world beyond war and violence
• A democratic world governance

3 urgent actions:

1. To overcome hunger, poor diet and the lack of potable water and drainage on both local and global level
2. Tackling the harm caused in poor countries due to “development” and climate change
3. Avoid the use of armed intervention and wars, even in the name of “democracy”.

3 ways of implementating the change: Actions for a Common Transformation (ACT!), Transition Circles and Models of Socio-economic innovation.

More information on the transitions, read the Statement 1.0 : Committing for a sustainable and people-centered world for all.

Who is part of it?

• The association Nova – Social Innovation with the support of more than twenty Catalan and international organisations.

• 150 academics and leaders of social movements from all over the world (with parity of gender and from 70 different countries).

Who is the project intended for?

• For all world citizens who believe in an alternative to this outdated system which has brought us not only an economic crisis but also a political, social cultural and natural one.

• For all the citizens that want to act in their daily life towards overcoming this model in decline and bet on a world habitable for everybody.

• For all the organisations, academics and social movements that want to add their ideas, proposals and actions to the process.

• For all the governments, institutions and companies that want to be involved.

>>> More information about the Barcelona Consensus process