The principal, Maria Vicenta Mestre, has claimed today that the promotion of the universities to the new culture of security and defence, in the act of inauguration of the twelfth seminar that the Institute of Human Rights of the Universitat de València (IDH-UV) dedicates to this topic.

The 12th Seminar on Security and Defence is held within the framework of the agreement signed between the Ministry of Defence and the academic institution. The principal has shown her “recognition of the efforts and importance of the Institute of Human Rights of the Universitat de València”. She has also highlighted the value of knowledge and multidisciplinary approaches for the analysis of global geopolitics that “allow us to guarantee the security and defence of territories and their citizens, always from the impulse to the application of human rights”. In this new culture of defence and security, she added, “the participation of society as a whole is required and us, as universities and public administrations, must be the pioneers of this impulse”.  Having underlined Spain's leadership in Europe in the development of 5G networks, Professor Mestre warned of cyber risks in a hyperconnected society.  Among these risks, the principal has referred to the enormous amounts of information that can be used by multinational companies for commercial purposes and also “by other agents that use them to destabilize the current western democracies”.

The congresses are held in the saló de graus of the Faculty of Law (Tarongers Campus). At the opening ceremony, the Principal was accompanied by Rafael Morenza, Defence delegate in the Valencian Community; Francisco Javier Palao, Dean of the Faculty of Law; Amador Enseñat, Division General of the Mando de Adiestramento y Doctrina (MADOC, the Training and Doctrine Command); and Consuelo Ramón, Director of the congresses and of the IDH-UV. The closing conference (Tuesday 15th October, 7:30 p.m.) will be given by the Chief Lieutenant of the NATO Rapid Deployable Spanish Corps, Francisco Javier Gan Pampols, who will analyse Spain's contribution to the defence of Europe.

The title of this edition of the conferences is “La defensa, element estratègic per a la garantia de la seguretat (Defence: an essential strategic element for the guarantee of security)”. In the course of the conferences, the organisers examine the main elements defining the National Security Strategy and the National Defence Directive. “Professors, researchers and professionals from the Armed Forces will deepen the relevance of the defence strategy in the prevention and fight against the main risks and threats that Spain and the rest of the EU member states must face, preserving first and foremost the fundamental rights of citizens”, they point out.

These conferences are part of the development of two research projects, directed by Professor Consuelo Ramón, PROMETEO/2018/156, “Seguretat internacional i europea: de la prevenció de conflictes armats a les estratègies per a la construcció d’una ciutadania inclusiva i plural” (International and European Security: from the prevention of armed conflicts to strategies for the construction of an inclusive and plural citizenship), financed by the Conselleria d'Educació, Investigació, Cultura i Esport; and the project of the Ministry DER2017-86861-R, of the State Programme of Research, Programa Estatal de I+D+i Orientat als Reptes de la Societats, entitled Prioritats en la revisió de l’estratègia global i europea de seguretat (Priorities in the revision of the global and European security strategy): La seguretat preventiva i el test de la gestió de la presència de col·lectius de risc (Preventive safety and the test of the management of the presence of risk groups).

Created in 2005, the Human Rights Institute of the Universitat de València (IDH-UV) received the Mention of Excellence from the Ministry of Education for its Doctoral Programme in Human Rights, Democracy and International Law.  The IDH-UV is part of the Consolider project in which twelve research groups from different Spanish universities participate, coordinated by the Bartolomé de las Casas Human Rights Institute of the Charles III University of Madrid.

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