Enric Morist, president of the Third Sector Roundtable, dies

BarcelonaDismay in the third sector: Catalan human rights activist Enric Morist (Igualada 1965) died suddenly this Friday, according to ARA, of a heart attack. Morist had been elected as the new president of the Third Sector Roundtable—which brings together 37 federations and 3,000 organizations fighting poverty—barely six months before, but he had been involved for much longer, having served as vice president since 2013. He was also a well-known figure for his previous work on the Roundtable, as coordinator of the Catalan Red Cross. The activist was 59 years old, married, and had three children, one of whom was adopted in Bosnia.

"He was a good, generous, extremely committed man who never said no," said Francina Alsina, who passed the baton to Morist as president of the Roundtable. Alsina expressed her "deep sadness." "I always told him that he carried the humanist diplomacy of the Red Cross in his bones," Alsina recalls. His death represents, in the words of the Third Sector Roundtable team, a "very difficult" time for all the Catalan social organizations fighting poverty and discrimination and promoting human rights. "They have lost a leading figure and a clear and committed voice," as Morist has always defended the work and contribution of the third sector and volunteerism in society, and "especially in caring for people in the most vulnerable situations." In its statement, the Roundtable emphasizes that Morist was a "firm defender of human rights, social justice, and the fight against poverty, exclusion, and inequalities," and that he always asserted "the capacity of third sector social organizations and volunteerism to support people and advance a more just, inclusive, and equitable society."

A social educator by profession, apart from presiding over the Roundtable and having been part of the management of the Red Cross, Morist was also the general director of the Help and Hope Foundation – the entity that manages the Telephone of Hope – and a member of the advisory boards of Fundesplai and the Federation of Entities with Apartment Projects.

On the same day that Morist was appointed president of the Third Sector Roundtable, ARA interviewed him"We require more paperwork to receive a social benefit than to carry out a banking transaction," he complained. The Igualada activist, always affable, never missed an opportunity to demand stable funding for entities through the Third Sector Law, currently being processed in Parliament. This was one of the main objectives of his mandate. Morist's last public appearance was this Monday, at the presentation of the Third Sector Roundtable's Barometer.

Condolences from the political class

The president of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), Salvador Illa, was one of the first leaders to react to the transfer of the president of the Board of Entities of the Third Social Sector of Catalonia. "Dismayed by the death of Enric Morist, a defender of social rights and a person committed to social dialogue to help the most vulnerable people and achieve a better society. My sincere condolences to his family and friends," Illa said in a message to X. At the end of November, the two met at the Palau, and Morist called on Illa to strengthen social policies. He also advocated for the 2025 budget and special funding to include measures to combat poverty and exclusion.

"Deeply shocked by the death of Enric Morist. A committed, persistent, kind, and upright person, always willing to help. Today, the fight for human dignity is somewhat less important. We will continue his legacy," recalled former President of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), Pere Aragonès. Carles Puigdemont also lamented the void left by Morist.

The mayor of Igualada, Marc Castells, also reacted to Morist's sudden death. "Igualadí was deeply involved in his work, close and key to humanitarian aid worldwide," Castells described him. "The death of Enric Morist leaves us without one of the leading figures in the defense of social rights and the fight against poverty," said Ester Capella, former regional minister and spokesperson for ERC in the Parliament. "Above all, and always, you have been a very good person, who has always, always, always helped others. A huge hug, my friend," tweeted former Interior Minister Miquel Buch.