"Those who can work remotely, let them work remotely. It's going to be chaotic": Seville closes 300 streets ahead of the UN summit.

Seville is preparing for the 4th United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development with a significant police deployment: 7,700 officers will ensure security for a summit attended by between 9,000 and 12,000 people from official delegations from the 150 countries that have confirmed their presence, including 50 heads of state or government and representatives of as many international organizations. However, this entire operation has plunged Sevillians into uncertainty, especially residents of the Sevilla Este neighborhood—where FIBES, the Exhibition and Conference Center that will host the summit, is located. They don't know how they will be able to get to work over the next week, due to the closures of avenues and streets (more than 300) and the changes in bus stops and routes. The city's mayor, José Luis Sanz, already acknowledged that Sevillians would suffer from mobility problems: "Those who can work remotely, let them work remotely. Those who can take personal days off, let them take them. Everything is going to be chaotic," he warned at the beginning of June.

“The problem is that we can't work remotely, and we're very worried about how we'll get here on Monday,” explains Eva—who prefers not to give her last name—a home care worker. She has a car, but these days she's already been experiencing detours due to police checks. Her colleague comes by bus and isn't entirely sure about the changes in bus stops and frequencies. Their problems are the same as those of María del Mar Puerta, who runs a pharmacy a block from FIBES, and her colleagues at the pharmacy. “Here, we haven't received any information from the City Council about road closures, what access points we can use, where we'll be able to park… During COVID, we were open for public service, and now you've left us helpless because of a summit,” she laments.

The City Council has designed a special mobility plan for the summit, which will run from Sunday, June 29th to Thursday, July 3rd. The conference itself opens on June 30th, but the day before, there is an official reception for the heads of state and government hosted by King Felipe VI at the Alcázar Palace, which will also affect traffic and life in the city center. The most affected area, however, is Seville East, a neighborhood of 100,000 inhabitants that lacks good connections to the historic center, to the point that Sevillians refer to it as Córdoba Sur because of the long journey time.

The main roads surrounding FIBES will be closed to traffic from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Monday and from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. from July 1 to 3. Buses to and from this area of ​​the city will be free on those days, but the council acknowledges that there will still be problems. "Holding this summit entails, on the other hand, a complex organizational challenge that will inevitably cause a considerable impact on the daily lives of citizens. As mayor of Seville, I apologize in advance for the inconvenience that an event of this nature entails," the mayor stated in a municipal announcement issued by the council regarding the meeting.

Closing of outdoor tables in the center

Mobility issues will also extend to the center of Seville, where the various receptions in emblematic locations throughout the city will require not only the closure of adjacent streets but also the closure of outdoor seating in nearby restaurants, located in the busiest areas of Seville, such as the Setas district or the Cathedral, throughout the weekend, when they typically receive the most customers. Specifically, the King's reception is scheduled for this Sunday at the Alcázar; on Monday, the reception for the President of the Government at the Dueñas Palace; and others organized by other delegations at locations such as the Archive of the Indies.

The decision to close outdoor seating was communicated to restaurant owners this Thursday. "They've left us no room for maneuver," laments a spokesperson for the Seville Restaurant Association, who emphasizes how this decision, announced at the last minute, will not allow them to cancel food and drink supplies, which are always increased on Fridays and Saturdays, nor to warn staff not to come to work. "That's not even considering the cancellations," he adds.

In the bars and restaurants across from FIBES, all anyone is talking about on the eve of the summit is how they'll get to work and how it will affect their usual lunches and dinners. "Here, most of our customers are local workers. If they can't come or are teleworking, it will affect us," says Antonio Martínez, manager of Casa Antonio Moreno. Another drawback of the UN conference is that, for security reasons, the trash bins in the area have been removed. "We have to carry garbage down several streets. This has never happened to us before," he notes.

To guarantee the security of the summit, the Ministry of the Interior has mobilized 7,722 officers—5,903 national police officers and 1,819 civil guards—in a operation that was activated at the end of February, according to Government Delegate Pedro Fernández. These personnel are joined by 500 members of the Armed Forces and around 200 local police officers. To guarantee their presence, the City Council proposed a productivity plan, which has been questioned by unions, who believe it is not the appropriate way to mobilize a staff that is understaffed and still owed overtime from Holy Week.

“This is the most important event Seville has hosted since Expo 92. Many heads of state and government also attended then, but it was spread over several months; this is all in four days,” a municipal source indicates. “It is extremely complicated to coordinate the delegations of 50 leaders who leave their hotels and go to the Alcázar, and then return and go to FIBES and then to Dueñas. This obviously has to affect the people of Seville, but we ask for patience; the occasion deserves it,” they add. The city, these sources point out, is accustomed to hosting large-scale events.