The Universidad Católica de Murcia and the Comisión Parlamentaria de Cooperación Internacional (Parliamentary Commission for International Cooperation) held a meeting for the defence of indigenous peoples and evangelisation, as part of the XXI International Charity and Volunteering Conference of the Universidad Católica de Murcia today, Monday, in the Ernest Lluch room of the Spanish Congress of Deputies. Throughout the event, around thirty representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Spain took the floor. In their speeches they called for the protection of the hundreds of indigenous languages of their countries as a cultural vehicle for their inhabitants. The event was attended by a large number of students from the UCAM campuses in Murcia and Cartagena. 

Monsignor Bernardito Cleopas, the Pope's Apostolic Nuncio to Spain, took part in the event. He highlighted the decision, which was taken more than 500 years ago, that "indigenous languages should be the vehicle for evangelisation", adding that "today we are recognising the work carried out by missionaries in the propagation of the faith". "I am very happy for this initiative, which UCAM has taken, to promote the spirit of charity, which is at the heart of our faith," he concluded. 

Pablo Blesa, vice-rector of International Relations and Communication of UCAM, expressed his satisfaction in that "Today UCAM is at the heart of national sovereignty, promoting dialogue between peoples, ecumenism and peace". Antonio Alcaraz, vice-rector of University Extension of the Universidad Católica and organiser of the conference, expressed himself along these lines, stressing that "we are reflecting on the growth and development of peoples and solidarity between nations at a time when we particularly need to promote peace". 

Gabriel Elorriaga, second vice-president of the Comisión Parlamentaria de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (Parliamentary Commission on International Cooperation for Development), assured that "the Universidad Católica has carried out very important work in international cooperation and in the defence of indigenous peoples, which is why it is an honour for me to participate in this event" 

In the course of the event, the initiatives carried out in the field of cooperation from three different areas were presented. María Jesús Bonilla, director of the International Chair for Women, Business and Sports at the Universidad Católica, pointed out that "in our chair we strive to achieve equality of people and therefore equal opportunities through education". Similarly, Manuel Pardo, vice-dean of the Degree in Podiatry, and Víctor Meseguer, director of the International Chair for Corporate Social Responsibility, presented UCAM's international cooperation projects in Uganda and the Amazon rainforest. 

The event was attended by numerous UCAM students. On their behalf, students Marta Sanmartín, from the Degree in Psychology, and Salomé López, from Physiotherapy, read the conclusions of the work carried out at the conference, highlighting the need to preserve the dignity of people and their traditions, the defence of languages as a legacy and wealth for all humanity, and the involvement of people in developing regions in their own task of integral human growth.

Prominent representatives 

Among the participants at the event was Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al Jarwan, President of the Paris Peace and Development Forum, and President of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, institutions with the aim of promoting peace through international cooperation.

Diplomatic representatives from the following countries also took part: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Armenia, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Costa Rica, Chile, Slovenia, Guatemala, Equatorial Guinea, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Mexico, Montenegro, Mozambique, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Democratic Republic of Congo, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sudan, Tunisia and the Vatican.