Costa Almeria Mayor named president of Andalucia Education, Culture and Historic Heritage Commission

THE Mayor of Huercal-Overa has been named president of an important Andalucia-wide commission.
Francisca Lourdes Fernandez is the new head of the FAMP Federation of Andaluca Municipalities and Provinces Education, Culture and Historical Heritage Commission.
Fernandez explained the working framework for the commission for the 2019-2023 legislature is the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the ratification by local governments of the ODS4 objective of “guaranteeing an inclusive, equal and quality education and of promoting learning opportunities throughout life for everyone.”
She also stressed that FAMP offers “tools, thanks to the Andalucia Local Culture Observatory, for planning local culture and for setting out cultural policies which are key for citizens’ culture rights, and which put residents at the centre of local cultural policies.”
On education matters Fernandez underlined the major role local administrations play.
“It is essential to recognise the importance of education for building citizenship and for achieving social cohesion”, she commented, adding that that was why good practices on addressing school absenteeism are awarded through the Junta de Andalucia’s Educaciudad Programme.
The Huercal-Overa council head also highlighted the role of FAMP in recognising local councils’ efforts to promote culture in their areas.
“We consider culture a valuable instrument which serves to reverse the process of depopulation, which affects a good part of our region, not only for the valuable resources it contributes and generates – material and immaterial – but on being a right which has to guarantee conditions of equality for all Andalucia residents.”
On heritage, Fernandez talked about FAMP’s collaboration with local entities on defence, conservation, development and promotion, with reciprocal relationships of cooperation and mutual assistance.