Since October 2021, the Barcelona Ombudsman has been David Bondia. He took on the role on 6 October 2021.
David Bondia has been president of the Institute of Human Rights of Catalonia, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Fundació Solidaritat UB and a member of the work team of the Catalan Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture. He has also been a member of the Executive Committee of the EUROMED-Rights Network and has been vice president of the Estructura de Drets Humans de Catalunya [Structure of Human Rights of Catalonia] (responsible for drafting the first Plan of Human Rights of Catalonia) and a member of the Consell Català de Foment de la Pau [Catalan Council for the Promotion of Peace]. He has participated as an expert in various international missions with the EU, the AECID, the Council of Europe and the UNDP. From March 2025 he chairs the Global Alliance of the Local Ombudsperson (AGOL).
He also works as an associate professor of International Public Law and International Relations at the University of Barcelona. As an academic specialising in human rights, he has been invited to participate at various universities in Europe, America, Africa and Asia.
His research work has focused on international protection and the national and local mechanisms for guaranteeing human rights. As a jurist specialising in human rights at a local level, he has been involved since the outset in drafting and applying the European Charter for Safeguarding Human Rights in the City, participating in working groups and advising local ombudsman’s offices, in the local ombudsman forum, FòrumSD, and in various municipalities.
To undertake his duties, the ombudsman works alongside a deputy and a multidisciplinary team of advisers and technical officers. The city of Barcelona has had two previous ombudsmen: Pilar Malla (2005-2010) and Maria Assumpció Vilà (2010-2021).
Deputy Ombudsman
Xavier Bernadí holds a Law degree from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), a PhD in Law from Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), and a Master’s in Public Administration from ESADE. His has worked in both academia and the administration of the Government of Catalonia.
He was a full-time professor of Administrative Law at UPF from 1997 to 2007 and currently teaches as an associate professor. He has also taught at the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Open University of Catalonia (UOC). A frequent lecturer and speaker at conferences, seminars, and other academic and training events, he has served as secretary of the Observatory on the Evolution of Institutions (OBSEI) and is the author of four books, as well as numerous book chapters and scholarly articles.
As a senior civil servant of the Government of Catalonia, he has held several leadership positions. These include serving as secretary of the Generalitat–State Bilateral Commission and other bilateral commissions, including one with Barcelona City Council. Within the regional administration, he has served as director of the Office for the Development of Self-Government, the Centre for Legal Studies and Specialized Training, the Directorate-General for Law and Legal Entities, and the Directorate for Religious Affairs . He has also held the role of Secretary of the Government of Catalonia.
Upon the proposal of the Ombudsman of Catalonia, he was appointed as a member of the body responsible for the Internal Information System of the Parliament of Catalonia. He has collaborated with the Forum of Ombudsman, Local Ombudsman, and Defenders of Catalonia (FòrumSD), particularly in the field of administrative mediation. At Barcelona City Council, he has been a member of the Ethics Committee.