Uses of Time

In the 41st edition held in Washington, the candidacy of Barcelona for the hosting of the 43rd edition of the Annual Congress of the IATUR in 2021, from October 27th to 29th, 2019, was approved.

The Annual Conference of the International Association for Time Use Research (IATUR) is the most important international congress on time organization worldwide and one of the most renowned international gatherings to exchange ideas, best practices, and gather the latest research advancements on time use. IATUR facilitates the exchange of ideas, methodology, and data collection techniques among researchers and official statistics compilers on patterns of daily activity and changes in people's behavior over time.

The 42nd IATUR Conference was originally scheduled to be held in Tokyo in November 2020. After careful deliberation, the organizing committee decided to cancel the 42nd conference for this year and considers the possibility of rescheduling the event to 2022.

In 2019, during the 41st edition held at American University in Washington, representatives from the Barcelona City Council, the Government of Catalonia, and the Time Use Week for a Healthy Society presented Barcelona's candidacy to host the 43rd edition of the congress in 2021.

The aim of the 43rd IATUR Congress in Barcelona is to promote the convergence of research, investigation, and public policies on time use and its impact on society. It will take place within the framework of the International Time Use Week, which will be held in Barcelona during October 2021. The congress will include a combination of research paper presentations, public policy discussions, and showcases of initiatives that connect research with organizations, public policy, and society.

In this context, this month of June, the Government of Catalonia, the Barcelona City Council, and the Barcelona Provincial Council have signed a collaboration agreement to promote time use policies at the local and international level. They will serve as co-organizers of the "Barcelona Time Use Initiative for a Healthy Society," an international initiative that follows the legacy of the Time Reform and aims to be an international reference actor in the next three years for the promotion of time-related welfare policies.

The agreement signing ceremony was attended by Deputy Mayor Jaume Collboni, the Minister of the Presidency of the Government of Catalonia, Meritxell Budó, the Chairwoman of the Social Cohesion, Citizenship, and Welfare Area of the Barcelona Provincial Council, Lluïsa Moret, and the co-coordinators of the Barcelona Time Use Initiative for a Healthy Society, Marta Junqué and Ariadna Güell.

The agreement also includes the organization of the International Time Use Week in 2020 and 2021, which will involve more than 300 researchers, political figures, activists, and organizations from around the world focused on time use. It also encompasses a series of activities leading up to the congress, such as the recent launch of a campaign for an organization of time that respects the biological clock, allowing for the sharing of quality time and enjoyment of the little things. The Week of Schedules will take place in November 2020, among other activities.