UEM and Spanish Cooperation launch groundbreaking postgraduate program in the Right to the City and inaugurate a Mock Trial Room

Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), in partnership with Spanish Cooperation, presented last Monday (May 11) the new Postgraduate Course in the Right to the City, in addition to inaugurating the Mock Trial Room. The initiative, based at the Faculty of Law, aims to address contemporary urban challenges in Mozambique, with an emphasis on decent housing, sustainable mobility, territorial planning and democratic governance of urban spaces.

With an innovative and interdisciplinary approach, the course articulates law, urban planning, governance, community participation, and sustainable development. In this way, it aims to train professionals capable of interpreting and intervening in the country's main urban problems.

During the launch ceremony, the Rector of UEM, Professor Manuel Guilherme Júnior, highlighted the role of Law in organizing urban life and called for reflection on collective responsibility in building more organized and inclusive cities. According to him, it is the role of law to regulate behaviors and social relations in order to guarantee stability, security, and quality of life in urban centers.

On the other hand, the Spanish Ambassador to Mozambique, Dr. Teresa Orjales, acknowledged that cities offer numerous opportunities for development, although she warned of the persistent challenges linked to territorial planning, especially in the country's main urban areas. The diplomat also argued that urban planning should contribute to transforming cities into pleasant spaces to live and socialize, promoting better living conditions for citizens.

The representative of the organization “Architecture Without Borders,” Engineer Gorka Solana Arteche, stated that all fundamental rights—from housing, health, education, and sanitation to mobility, security, and civic participation—depend on a physical space for their realization. As he explained, rights “do not materialize in the abstract,” but rather in neighborhoods, streets, squares, public facilities, and the conditions of accessibility and inclusion that exist in cities. Therefore, the engineer concluded: “The Right to the City is not just another right among others. It is the space where all other rights become effective.”