(Reposted from: El Comarcal de la Alpujarra. July 24, 2026)
By Delia Molina
This week, La Taha is hosting 60 educators, activists, and academics from 22 countries participating in IIPE 2026 Spain, the biennial meeting of the International Institute on Peace Education, with the aim of learning firsthand about the municipal project ‘Villages for Peace’ , promoted by the City Council of this Alpujarra municipality.
The visit, scheduled as part of the official program of the meeting taking place in Granada from July 19 to 26, will allow participants to learn about the experience of La Taha, whose seven population centers—Pitres, Capilerilla, Mecina, Mecinilla, Fondales, Ferreirola, and Atalbéitar—were declared Villages for Peace in 2025. In the same plenary session in which this declaration was approved, the City Council gave the green light to the Manifesto for Peace , a document that was presented to all attendees by the mayor, José Antonio García, during the official reception.
The IIPE 2026 Spain conference brings together specialists in peace education for a week at the Colegio Mayor Jesús María of the University of Granada. Participants come from Afghanistan, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, Slovenia, Spain, the United States, France, Ireland, Japan, Libya, Mexico, Nepal, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Senegal, Ukraine, and Venezuela. As part of the program, one day is dedicated to exploring local initiatives related to peacebuilding, with the project developed in La Taha being selected for this edition.
The visit also coincides with the start of the third edition of the Al-Taha Festival , which takes place from July 23 to 26 and whose program dedicates the opening day to rural women and the closing day to the culture of peace.
During their stay, the participants are meeting with the Citizens’ Commission of Villages for Peace and learning about various environmental projects underway in the municipality, including Awama , focused on the restoration of the traditional irrigation system, and Semillistas , dedicated to forest regeneration. They will also attend some of the activities scheduled within the festival and share a traditional afternoon snack of hot chocolate and fritters prepared by the Pitres Women’s Association.
David Adams participates in the institutional reception
Among the attendees at IIPE 2026 Spain, the presence of David Adams stands out , a renowned American scientist, academic, writer and activist, considered one of the leading international figures in the promotion of a culture of peace.
Adams spent part of his professional career at UNESCO, where he collaborated with Federico Mayor Zaragoza on the Culture of Peace initiative , which led to the proclamation of the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the dissemination of the 2000 Manifesto , endorsed by more than 75 million people worldwide. He also spearheaded the process that resulted in the Seville Manifesto on Violence , a document that scientifically debunked the idea that war is biologically determined.
The 87-year-old researcher will speak at the official reception at La Taha Town Hall, where he will address the importance of citizen manifestos in favor of peace. The municipality’s ‘Villages for Peace’ Manifesto will also be read during the event.
Granada, a meeting point for intercultural dialogue
According to Gloria Abarca, a member of the organizing committee and representative of Mexico, this edition of the IIPE aims to focus on the common challenges posed by ecological sustainability and intercultural relations.
“The IIPE 2026 Spain aims to highlight the parallel challenges posed by deep ecological thinking and intercultural relations. We want to continue the spirit of Granada as a historical center of tolerance, dialogue, and intercultural symbiosis.” – Gloria Abarca
“The IIPE 2026 Spain aims to highlight the parallel challenges posed by deep ecological thinking and intercultural relations. We want to continue the spirit of Granada as a historical center of tolerance, dialogue, and intercultural symbiosis,” she says.
The International Institute for Peace Education has held this meeting every two years in a different country since its inception in 1982, when the first edition took place at Columbia University in New York, focusing on nuclear disarmament. Since then, it has traveled to 21 countries and brought together thousands of educators, researchers, and activists from around the world to exchange experiences and strengthen peace education as a tool for social transformation.