The CUDECA award was given to the Sharing Cultures Project

Estepona Council received the prestigious Joan Hunt Award from the Malaga Provincial Council, and the CUDECA Foundation for its innovative municipal program, Compartiendo Culturas.

The program, which was launched in 2024 promotes cultural integration and exchange between the 135 nationalities living in the town.

The Mayor of Estepona, Jose Maria Garcia Urbano, expressed his gratitude for the award and stressed its importance in highlighting how important it is to integrate foreign residents into the development of the province. “Our commitment to making Estepona a central point for the different cultures of the Costa del Sol, encouraging mutual understanding and exchange, led us to create Sharing Cultures,” García Urbano stated. The initiative promotes learning from each other, exchange of cultures, and active participation within the local community through a variety of activities. The mayor recognized the contribution of the diverse foreign communities of the town. Some of them attended the awards ceremony.

Francisco Salado praised Sharing Cultures, the project of the Malaga Provincial Council. He called it “a real example of coexistence, and a project which celebrates diversity as a valuable that enriches all.” He stated that the award recognised Estepona’s ability to transform diversity into strength and demonstrate that integration is crucial to building open, inclusive societies.

Estepona, in celebration of the award, will be hosting two Sharing Cultures Events this weekend on Paseo Maritimo. On Saturday 27th September, the Nordic countries will be highlighted from 6pm-10pm. While on Sunday 12pm-9pm will focus on Ukraine. Estepona has a large presence of both cultures.