The Director-General of UNESCO inaugurates International Center for Human and Social Sciences in CaixaForum Macaya

CaixaForum Macaya consolidates its role as a global think tank, becoming part of an international excellence network that works to contribute to the implementation of UNESCO's strategic programs and development agendas around the world.

The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, today inaugurated the UNESCO International Center for Human and Social Sciences at the CaixaForum Macaya of ”la Caixa” Foundation. Also participating in the inauguration were Juan José López Burniol, Vice Chairman of ”la Caixa” Foundation; Elisa Duran, Deputy general manager of the Foundation; Miquel Iceta, Permanent Ambassador of Spain to UNESCO; and Maria Eugènia Gay, Second Deputy Mayor of the Area of Social Rights, Culture, Education and Life Cycles of the Barcelona City Council.

Audrey Azoulay expressed her satisfaction for the "fruitful collaboration with Spain, "la Caixa" Foundation and its Chairman, Isidro Fainé, a key stakeholder of this magnificent partnership". "The purpose of this centre reflects the historic conviction of our Organization: that public policies are more effective, more accurate, more relevant when they include inputs from the social and human sciences", she added.

For his part, Juan José López Burniol, Vice Chairman of "la Caixa" Foundation, expressed: "The Foundation has historically been aligned with the principles of UNESCO, promoting social inclusion, education, culture and science as agents of social transformation", and added: "CaixaForum Macaya, as an International Center for Social and Human Sciences, will contribute to articulate knowledge and culture, thus contributing to reflection on the key challenges of human development and promoting inclusion and social justice."

CaixaForum Macaya consolidates its role as a global think tank and becomes part of an international excellence network that works to contribute to the implementation of UNESCO's strategic programs and development agendas. Designated as International Center for Human and Social Sciences by the UNESCO General Conference in November 2021, it is the first center of this category in Spain.

Among the programming planned for this year at the International Center, it is planned to produce a report on the just climate transition and the organization of conferences and activities related to the challenges and opportunities of technology and the digitalized society, working on topics of great social and human impact.

The opening also reflects the values shared between UNESCO, the United Nations Organization for Social and Human Sciences, and "la Caixa" Foundation. Both institutions have social inclusion, education, science, and culture as priorities.

CaixaForum Macaya has a decade of experience as a venue for reflection and debate for the analysis of the big challenges of our time in the social, economic, industrial-technological, humanistic, and environmental fields, through knowledge sharing between a diversity of social actors.

"la Caixa" Foundation center programs and encourages dialogue and the exchange of ideas through conferences, debates and round tables with leading speakers, both nationally and internationally.

It will rely on UNESCO's global network in social sciences: nearly 950 university Chairs in 110 countries, the Inclusive Policy Lab - a prominent UNESCO international forum, and 30 years of experience and partnerships developed through the UNESCO Management of Social Transformations Programme (MOST).