#MolinadeSegura4CSR: “Mi Sueño Fátima”

Molina de Segura Context

Molina de Segura is the fourth largest municipality in Region of Murcia, with around 70,000 inhabitants and is one of the most industrialized cities in Spanish Southeast, being located in the metropolitan area of Murcia City with a unique strategic communication location. Molina de Segura is a municipality that combines tradition and progress, history and future, a place where the countryside, innovation and technology coexist.

The town has a great industrial tradition with past commercial and export activity in the agricultural, plastic, ceramic, wood, textile and olive industries.  Since the 1920s, Molina de Segura is also famous for its canning industries. Molina, at first, grew by expanding irrigated land and later by the proliferation of the canning industry. The latter produces fruits in syrup, jams, juices and other products. The industrial activity generates more than 3.4 billion euros per year; making Molina the highest economic income earner in the region.

Molina de Segura has outlined the following priority topics: reindustrialization, adaptation to climate change as well as culture and education. However, the main objective of the city is to boost Molina de Segura as a model of a liveable, safe, modern and fair city.

Molina de Segura and CITIES4CSR Network

Through its participation in the project, Molina de Segura wishes to create a strategic framework for CSR while meeting local development goals and district’s necessities through CSR initiatives.  Nevertheless, even though not explicit nor formal, Molina de Segura already possessed CSR experience that was previously linked to actions in sport, culture and people at risk. Furthermore, Molina approved a system that guarantees financial benefits to companies if they carry out a series of local CSR-type actions. The CSR Chair of the University of Murcia has been developing a Project on Social Responsibility in Public Administrations for several years and Molina de Segura's evaluation was positive and reviewed as a case of good practices not only for obtaining better scores, but also for the balanced development of the different CSR-dimensions.

Molina ULG dynamics: an exemplary model to take as a referral

Molina’s ULG is a really pro-active partner of the CITIES4CSR consortium thanks to its motivated participants. As a matter of fact, Molina’s ULG is coordinated by Anthony Renton, CEO of Vrio, a transportation services’ company that is committed to CSR and to the URBACT-project, so an ambassador from the business side. He is supported by the dynamic EU Project Officer of the Municipality, Antonio Gomariz and his dedicated team with different departments that include Urban planning, Social Affairs, Education among others, and in particular the Municipality’s Business Office, a unique service that Molina offers to companies to help their integration in the territory. Also, the project counts with EuroVértice, a consultancy with expertise in urban development and strategies, that supports all the process including the transnational learning and the cross-fertilization.

Nevertheless, the ULG would not see the light of day without its great citizen volunteers that are making the project going at local level in the Barrio de Fátima where the URBACT action is taking place and the context of companies linked to the territory. The youth, women, senior and neighbours’ associations, the hospital of Molina, the architectural bureau Santa-Cruz, the local chemist, the Red Cross, large companies of the territory such as Soltec, Sercomosa, Francisco Aragón, other small local businesses and different non-profit-making organizations are making the change. But not only them, also the individuals of the neighbourhood are part of the whole process with their interactive participation.

Last but not least, the Chair of CSR from the University of Murcia is to be highlighted. It is indeed a key stakeholder for the project providing pertinent guidance to the Municipality and Molina’s ULG in order to reach the best adequate results on the long term at local level on CSR.

The ULG of Molina is subdivided per specific pilar that summarize the needs of the Barrio that are going to be tackled during the project’s framework and on the long term. Indeed, the intervention logic is to address the local challenges via three specific pillars: urban planning; socio-education and health and sanitation with a common transversal aspect represented by businesses and CSR. Each pillar will be analysed in depth by the extended local group and the corresponding key profiles in order to meet the needs and to respond to the aforementioned problems through adequate CSR initiatives and activities. In addition, the local group will pay special attention to the current situation of COVID-19 with the aim of achieving a successful, but adapted local project.

In addition, the ULG dynamic is based around the 6 following aspects:

• ULG Spirit and coordination with a mutual trusted collaboration among the neighborhood, municipalities and local businesses, with the help of the University of Murcia;
• Strategic framework by working innovatively with existing initiatives and district´s situation so as to improve it;
• Values highlighting inclusion, participation and flexibility within the ULG;
• Adapted Sustainable Plan with the backing of the municipality, citizens, businesses and investors;
• COVID-19 impact taken into consideration and;
• Evaluation and monitoring framework in order to implement a sustainable integrated action plan.

"Mi sueño Fátima" and CITIES4CSR impact through the SSA: Enhancing services for the Barrio de Fátima with the aim of reinforcing the feeling of belonging

As aforementioned, Molina de Segura’s intervention logic is based on the 3 outlined pillars around which the local groups intend to develop two small-scale actions during 2021. Thanks to the inspiring CSR Platform of our project partner Nantes, the first small scale action will be a pilot of the Fátima CSR Platform to promote public-private collaboration and to meet the local needs and goals responding through CSR proposals. The second, would be to produce an outline of a CSR strategic plan that would have to be developed until a global municipal CSR strategy could be effectively and sustainably implemented.

Local synergy

The Municipality of Molina de Segura is also participating in another European project, entitled, LIFE CITYAdaP3, and that focuses on Financing Cities Adaptation to Climate Change through Public-Private Partnerships and Corporate Social Responsibility. Molina de Segura is organizing its InfoDay on March 23rd at 6PM (CET) with the active participation of some of Molina´s ULG members such as the Coordinator of the European Projects Office of the Municipality and the Chair of CSR from the University of Murcia. The aim of the event is to inform on public-private partnership agreements based on CSR in order to take measures to adapt to climate change in municipalities.

Article written by: Molina de Segura Local Team