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The 1st. International Conference on Public Safety finished with International Guidelines on Public Safety in a Diverse Society.
The International Conference on Public Safety
in a Diverse Society
1.) What is the International Conference on Public Safety in a Diverse Society?
The International Conference on Public Security in a Diversity Society is an opportunity to open an international debate among different professionals, citizens, and neighborhoods from the diversity of countries around the World on the topic of public safety in the complex, international communities of our global XXI Century cities. It is also an opportunity to go further in merging and building international consensus, starting from various different positions, to define what kind of future public safety and justice we want and will need in our more and more complex and diverse countries, cities, and communities. Nowadays more than ever what happens to a city affects all of us on an international level, and has international solutions as well. In order to address the needs and rights of our diverse society we need to incorporate the diversity of professional methods and public positions into common frameworks and agreements. The final goal is to strengthen the role citizens play in justice and safety to improve integration and co-existence of diverse communities on an international level.
The International Conference, inspired by the previous National Conference in Brasil, is not just an event, workshop or seminar, but a process aimed at stimulating and involving different agents from around the world who work to resolve public security problems and challenges and who struggle to come up with these solutions. Sure enough, the International Conference starts with National Meetings in each participating country. The National Meeting consists of a public meeting with representatives and experts in public safety and related preventive and supportive services, it is also open to members of the community and any interested person who feels they have something to contribute. The aim of the National Meeting is to define principles, guidelines, and criteria for the desired methodology of public safety and justice in our diverse global society. A National Meeting is a snap shot of the characteristics, experiences, and practices relating to public safety within the given country. It does not require great effort to involve all members and groups of society. However, it does imply an effort to reflect the real situation in that country. Individuals and/or organizations are appointed by the International Conference Board to lead or host the process in each country and may be put forward by themselves, by other individuals or organizations, or by the Board.
To have all the details on how to participate and organize a National Conference, request the Public Safety International Conference Guide.
Many National Meetings have already taken place and there are also several countries and cities in which we have contacts to organize and hold a National Meeting. For example,
The Conference Board would like to invite institutions and experts from other countries to hold a National Meeting in their country.
The International Conference constitutes the second step, merging the results of all National Conferences, focusing on similarities and specificities on solutions. Representatives of each country shared the information through a round table discussion. The final debate and the presentation of the final results took place at the 2011 International Congress on Public Safety in the Diverse Society in Segovia (IE University), in Spain, from the 19th to the 22nd of October 2011. A final document with the methodological consensus is being drafted and published.
The International Conference is a great opportunity for:
- Different individuals, groups, and communities divided by differences on this topic to come together to express their various needs and views on safety and to elaborate common opinions and proposals at community, national and international level. - Developing a deeper understanding on how to extend the rule of law of our modern democratic States addressing fundamental rights adapted to a diverse society. - Merging innovative practices and approaches in view of creating a stronger national and international consensus on public safety policies and methods.
2) Why organize an International Conference on Public Safety?
The advance in the rule of law in democratic States should address the diversity of citizenship needs and resources efficiently. Public safety is crucial to do so. Also, the increasing globalization of communication and social migrations of the last 15 years brought about a major growth of social and cultural complexity especially in large urban centers worldwide. This globalization presents a challenge to guarantee the rights of all and each individual and is also a resource for social integration, and development. The field of public safety is emblematic for this objective as its failure would make social integration and co-existence in a diverse society particularly difficult, whereas its success would allow us to use it a driving force for social development and cohesion. The present context turns public safety into a key element to reach one of human aspirations: co-existance in diversity. If we want to drive deeper into the rule of law in our democratic States and to advance in citizens´ satisfaction with services, we need to understand the diverse and complex nature of our (of any) society. In a society understood to be diverse, fitting public safety policies in to the specific characteristics of a community implies moving on from the idea that the solution can be equally and homogeneously applied to all citizens. It means distinguishing the plurality of needs and views on safety and co-existence of each citizen, group, and community. In order to do so, we need to work with the social networks of vulnerable and at risk groups, regardless of the distance, using the challenges and opportunities of the new technologies of international communication. A growing international social mobility among our increasingly different cities across countries as well as with the boom in communication technologies makes setting up an international debate, joint analysis and consensus possible. This is necessary in order to reach mutual understanding and agreement on the type of protection of rights of all and each member of our diverse society and on the type of international collaboration we want to achieve. This will also contribute to citizens and safety institutions to better understand, act, and work under the rule of law of democratic States around the World. Our present and future urban communities and cities are intrinsically diverse and international, their problems affect all of us internationally, and therefore the solutions must be found at international level. These new developments in demographics and communication lead to changes in public safety approaches which are trying to move forward in more preventive, pro-active, land-adapted methods, with higher implication of other agencies at different levels, promoting better coordination and governance at community level. This allows a closer adaptation to the diverse nature of our society. Working with these proactive community-centered methods needs even further international collaboration and consensus. All these new approaches and innovations in public safety in several countries together with the boost of globalization and new communication technologies mean that now is the moment to address the role of public safety in our global, complex, and technological society as an international community. Our final goal is to contribute to public safety and justice at local level and to improve integration and co-existence of different societies at the international level.
3) Organizers and participants
The initiative of the International Conference on Public Safety in a Diverse Society was started by the Public Safety Community Program (PSCP) in Madrid (Spain). This procedure analyses how to make progress in public safety methodology to better reach the diverse and complex society of our global XXI Century World. The PSCP is headed by Miguel Angel Gandarillas, psychologist and professor at the IE University, Spain, and is supported by a large number of local, national, and international institutions, which are being invited to participate in the International Congress process. Different entities are being invited to participate in the National Conference and International Steering Groups, such as:
Apart from the International Conference, the PSCP has spear-headed a series of initiatives on safety and justice between Spain and other countries through the International Program in R-D-i in Public Safety.
Download the Conference Guide to find out how to organise a local meeting and take part in the Internation Conference on Public Safety process.
CONFERENCE DOCUMENTS
Results of the Belém meeting (Pará, Brazil) Results of the Groningen meeting Results of the São Paulo meeting
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE NEWS/ AGENDA Additional documents:
Madrid: Open conference of neighbourhood professionals - 30 November 2010
Belem, Pará: North Brazil Conference - 25 March 19:30.
Entities having organised local meetings:
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