The Cabildo of Lanzarote has been selected as a finalist in the European Capitals of Inclusion and Diversity Awards 2026, convened by the European Commission, placing the island among the most advanced European territories in public policies of equality, inclusion, and social cohesion.
This recognition confirms that Lanzarote already forms part of the European reference group in inclusion and diversity. Furthermore, the island institution is the only large Spanish public administration finalist in the category of more than 50,000 inhabitants, and also competes in the specific category of inclusive labor markets for all people.
The president of the Cabildo, Oswaldo Betancort, highlights that “Lanzarote is already in the European final of inclusion. Being finalists in these European awards is a recognition of the serious, continuous and profoundly transformative work that Lanzarote has been developing to guarantee rights, generate opportunities and build a fairer island for all people.”
Betancort emphasizes that “this nomination confirms that inclusion is not a discourse, but a way of governing. This recognition also projects the Canary Islands into the European space of advanced public policies.”
For the Councilor for Social Welfare and Inclusion, Marci Acuña, “this very important recognition is a reflection of the daily lives of thousands of people in Lanzarote and La Graciosa, as it highlights something fundamental such as the network of care and commitment that exists on our island”. “Because this work,” adds Acuña, “is not done by just one administration, it is done by social entities, NGOs, professionals, technical teams, city councils and, above all, the people who participate, who trust and who build community every day in Lanzarote and La Graciosa”.
Governance model: “No one left behind”
The recognition granted by the European Commission to the Cabildo de Lanzarote responds to sustained work over time, based on a structural and transversal public policy that integrates services, participation, and generation of opportunities. This model incorporates an intersectional approach that allows addressing complex realities linked to disability, age, origin, gender, or beliefs.
In this regard, Oswaldo Betancort points out that “the Cabildo develops this model based on participatory governance, strategic planning and the provision of services and opportunities that guarantee rights, personal autonomy and social participation with the fundamental objective that no one is left behind”.
This translates into a wide range of concrete actions that include the creation and improvement of socio-health places and resources, specialized social inclusion and care services, equality policies and prevention of gender violence, reception and inclusion programs for migrants and unaccompanied minors, universal accessibility measures, support for the third social sector, active aging programs, inclusive employment and training actions in collaboration with social entities, companies, and public administrations.
Together, the Cabildo de Lanzarote promotes more than 100 active initiatives, configuring an authentic island ecosystem of diversity and inclusion with real and sustained impact on the lives of thousands of people, and positioning the island as a more advanced public model.
Delivery of awards
The official ceremony for the awarding of these European Capitals of Inclusion and Diversity Awards 2026 will be held next April 21, 2026, in Brussels, within the framework of the European Diversity Month.
Lanzarote will attend this event as one of the European territories of reference in inclusion, bringing to Europe the model of an island that has converted equality, diversity, and social cohesion into the central axis of its government action.
