The Governing Council of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) has approved a motion identifying Israeli occupation and blockade of the Occupied Palestinian Territories as structural causes of the conflict and urging the international community to act and enforce United Nations resolutions, international law and human rights as guarantees for a just and lasting peace. The motion was proposed to the University Senate by the Executive Council on 31 January.

The text, which condemns Hamas’s attacks and calls for the release of all hostages, proposes joining the voices demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza; the entry and delivery of sufficient humanitarian aid and relief, including food, water, fuel and medical supplies; and independent foreign media access to the Gaza Strip with safety guarantees to report on the actual situation on the ground.

Additionally, it urges the University to exercise all its capacity, through its network of international relations and influence, to cooperate in all actions leading to the resolution of the conflict and the cessation of hostilities and to guarantee human rights in all occupied territories.

The UPC aims to continue working, allocating the necessary resources and efforts, for a university that is committed to international humanitarian law, and to provide the necessary support to those academic communities affected from the commitment to peace and solidarity.

Therefore, it calls on the Catalan and Spanish governments and the European Union to have a proactive and committed attitude towards the resolution of the conflict and to demand respect for human rights, calling on Israel to respect the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice.

When war began, the UPC’s International Emergency Committee started monitoring the conflict to contribute to mitigate its devastating effects as much as possible. Through a dedicated mailbox, managed by the International Relations Bureau, the University has handled several requests by UPC members from the conflicting communities and provided them with corresponding help, ranging from psychological support and academic guidance to legal advice and financial support, to contribute to addressing critical family issues due to the situation in Palestine.

The Governing Council is composed of the rector, who presides over it, the general secretary, the general manager, the vice-rectors, 15 representatives of the deans and directors of academic units, ensuring a minimum of five school representatives, five department representatives and one research institute representative. Also 24 representatives of the University Senate and three members of the Board of Trustees not belonging to the university community, who must be appointed by the Board itself.