The opening act had been presided by the Principal of Universitat de València, M.ª Vicenta Mestre; the Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences, Albert Moncusí, the Vice-dean of Culture and Participation, Inmaculada Verdeguer; the Professor and organiser of the Conference, Mercedes Botija; and the organiser of the International Cinema and No Violence Festival (FICNOVA), Pepa Benítez.

The Principal M.ª Vicenta Mestre underlined the role of universities ‘such as change agents of society capable of doing analysis and research that bring the opportunity to find out tools that replace violence for talk, respect and equality, a violence increasingly present in our society from childhood’.

On the other hand, the Dean Albert Moncusí remarked the role of transformation that has the Faculty of Social Sciences itself to society, ‘the transformation to no violence, because the no violence begins on oneself, according to the personal attitudes of every one. For that the importance of being open minded, of putting the seed for a future with no violence’.

Then, it had taken place the opening conference entitled “El activismo social como reivindicación frente a la violencia” (Social activism as a vindication against violence) given by the Emeritus Professor of Economic Theory of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the President of International University for Peace, Arcadi Oliveres.