Joan Laporta meets with the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro

Today saw FC Barcelona president, ​​Joan Laporta, meet with the the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, as part of his visit to the Latin American country to learn first-hand about the FC Barcelona Foundation projects in Arauca, on the border with Venezuela.

The meeting took place at the Casa Nariño, the presidential home of the Colombian government in Bogota, and afterwards, president Laporta highlighted Petro's robust project in the fight against violence. "He has an ambitious plan to conclude the peace process" in the country, stated Joan Laporta. He also explained that Petro thinks the work being done by the Foundation in collaboration with Save The Children and UNHCR is very positive, as it is helping both refugee children and children displaced by the ongoing violence in some areas of the country.

The Colombian leader also invited the Club to become involved in a party that promotes peace in the country, given there are still situations of conflict in different regions, a proposal that the Club's president was very positive about.

President Laporta also highlighted that Gustavo Petro shares the view that sport is a powerful tool for conveying values and for integration, so he suggested that it more Barça Academies could potentially be opened in the country. The project involves a network of football schools around the world that teach the Barça methodology to children and adolescents. Colombia's football heritage and the fervent following in the country were also mentioned.

Additionally, Joan Laporta noted Petro's fondness for the Club, Barcelona and Catalonia, just like the Colombian first lady, Verónica Alcocer, who also shared her passion for football and the Barça Women's first team. In this sense, the Colombian president's wife expressed the importance of Barça's commitment to women's football in furthering the role of women in both society and sport.

Joint projects with UNHCR and Save the Children

Within the framework of his visit this week, the FC Barcelona president went to the town of Arauca, witnessing the Foundation's projects, which include over 500 children and adolescents who are either Venezuelan refugees or displaced Colombians. These projects aim to create safe surroundings that aid the development and social integration process for these communities through sport.

Run by the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, an FC Barcelona Foundation partner, and by the international NGO, Save the Children, with the support of Scotiabank, these projects support both refugee Venezuelan families and displaced Colombian families. The projects also involve the implementation of the FC Barcelona Foundation's SportNet methodology, which uses sport to help improve the emotional and physical well-being of the children taking part.