Happy Holidays
Christmas is approaching and with it the end of a year that has been politically very intense. 2023 has witnessed important events that have marked the course of our island. First of all, we enthusiastically celebrated the regional and municipal elections, crucial moments where each and every one of you exercised your democratic right to elect those who will lead our institutions in the coming years. I deeply appreciate the active participation and civic commitment demonstrated by our citizens. Elections are the essence of our democracy, and their involvement reinforces the social fabric that unites us as Canaries.
And of course, I am extremely grateful that an important part of the men and women of our island revalidated their trust in me to continue serving as president for another four years. It is a great honor, but also an immense responsibility. No president of the Cabildo has been in office for so long since the first democratic elections in 1979. I understand it as a collective achievement, since what has been revalidated is an island project built and shared by many public and private institutions, companies, social organizations, professionals... It has opened a horizon of sustainability, well-being and hope that has managed to weave a social consensus.
In the past four years we have made significant progress in projects that will strengthen infrastructure and improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of Gran Canaria. From the energy transition, to improvements in public transportation, new social and health centers, audiovisual sector, water security, blue economy, food sovereignty... We have worked tirelessly to build a more sustainable and equitable island. The collaboration between the Cabildo and the municipalities has been essential to carry out this task and the commitment of all those involved is appreciated.
This year we also experienced the general elections, a democratic exercise that transcends the borders of our island to shape the political panorama of the entire Spanish State. It has been an electoral process with a result that admits multiple readings, but that undoubtedly represented a brake on the reactionary wave that is spreading throughout Europe and the planet. Recently I have been very critical of the scarce presence of the Canary Islands and its problems in the formation of the Government of Spain, but I trust that the progressive coalition will take the necessary measures to move towards a prosperous future for Gran Canaria society. If this were not the case, we would let you know in every possible way.
However, we cannot ignore the challenges we have faced, especially in a year that I believe has still been marked by the consequences of the pandemic. Gran Canaria's resilience has been evident and we must continue to support each other in recovery and reconstruction. Tourism has returned to pre-Covid 19 numbers and with it job creation, which is the largest in the recent history of the islands. But we must make efforts since the economic recession caused by zero tourism caused by the measures adopted to control the virus, further worsened the poverty and exclusion figures, a complex reality but one that requires all our resources to reduce them.
There are three major issues that are likely to shape our future: the global movements of people, the digital transformation of our societies and economies, and our response to the environmental and climate crisis. The truth is that the Canary Islands are in a position where these three issues are fundamental. We are one of the main migratory routes between Africa and Europe, we are one of the territories that is suffering the most from the consequences of climate change and due to our geographical characteristics (a small archipelago far from its main trading partners but in a geostrategic enclave) we are seeing how Digitalization opens up unprecedented opportunities for our development.
These are challenges of such caliber that they require the involvement of all institutions, regardless of their powers. From the Cabildo of Gran Canaria we are promoting the first Island Strategy for Intercultural Coexistence “Gran Canaria Convive”, to, hand in hand with city councils and civil society, have a joint strategy and a single voice against the migration phenomenon, assuming our part (which is small) and demanding urgent measures and means from the Government of Spain to address this situation.
