City Leaders Reaffirm Support Amid Humanitarian Crisis
On 1 September 2026, Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni conveyed the city’s solidarity with its Nepalese community in response to catastrophic flash floods that struck northern Nepal earlier in August. The statement was issued by the Barcelona City Council through its official communications channel, underscoring emotional and institutional backing for affected families residing in the city. The floods, triggered by a glacial collapse along the Nepal-Tibet border on 26 August, have claimed at least 1,200 lives in Nepal and left more than 4,200 people missing, according to Nepal's disaster agency as reported by the BBC. Entire villages were swept away in the districts of Nuwakot and Rasuwa, displacing nearly 3,500 people into temporary shelters, many of them located in schools.
Local Response and Community Engagement
Barcelona is home to a growing Nepalese population, with active community organisations such as the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) Spain playing a key role in cultural and humanitarian initiatives. In April 2026, NRNA Spain raised over €300,000, approximately Rs 52.1 million, during the five-day 'Spain Spiritual Festival' held in Barcelona to fund the construction of a Nepali temple, or 'Nepal Ghar', in the city. This campaign reflects both deep community ties and an increasing organisational capacity among Nepalese expatriates in Spain. More than 15,000 people attended the festival, which organisers described as a spiritual and cultural anchor for Nepalis living abroad under difficult working conditions.
Ongoing Institutional Outreach
The City Council’s outreach to foreign communities includes regular coordination with consular representatives. On 13 July 2026, Mayor Collboni hosted 66 consuls at the historic Albéniz Palace, part of a recurring institutional reception aimed at strengthening diplomatic engagement and enhancing public safety collaboration. Barcelona hosts 102 consulates, making it one of the largest non-state-capital hubs for consular representation worldwide. These meetings allow municipal authorities to brief diplomatic missions on local security policies, public space management, and emergency coordination involving the Barcelona City Police and Fire Service.
The consular network plays a vital role in connecting our international communities with essential services and ensuring they feel supported,
, Statement from Barcelona City Council Such efforts are particularly important given documented challenges faced by Nepalese migrants in Spain, including difficulties accessing passport services through the Embassy of Nepal in Madrid. Community leaders have previously raised concerns that limited appointment availability could exclude thousands from Spain’s upcoming legalisation process for undocumented migrants. Despite these administrative hurdles, civic participation remains strong. A consular service camp organised by the Nepali embassy in Barcelona assisted around 300 Nepali citizens with documentation needs earlier in the year, according to OnlineKhabar English News. The city’s expression of solidarity comes amid a broader four-month humanitarian flash appeal launched jointly by the Nepalese government and the United Nations to address recovery needs across affected regions.
Primary sources: ajuntament.barcelona.cat. Reported by People's Review, barna.news, mypeoplesreview.com, bbc.com, Ratopati, myRepublica, katmandujournal.com, gentedigital.es, kathmandupost.com, english.onlinekhabar.com, reviewnepal.com.
