09 July 2026
Madrid
Eduardo J. Ruiz Vieytez, a researcher at the University of Deusto's Human Rights Institute, has developed an innovative tool to help local authorities improve the local governance of religious diversity and foster greater pluralism and democratic inclusion in communities across Europe. The toolkit is based on the indicators and experience gained in Spain through the Municipalities for Tolerance programme.
This national programme was launched in May 2021 by the Ministry of the Presidency, through the public foundation Pluralism and Coexistence, in collaboration with the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP). The University of Deusto's Institute of Human Rights was responsible for the programme's design and methodological development.
The new resource, developed as part of the DIVERPOMU project (further information here), was presented in Madrid at the European Forum on the Local Governance of Religious Diversity. This meeting forms part of the RE&TO Project (Religions and Tolerance), an initiative funded by the European Commission in which researchers from the University of Deusto are taking part.
The “Municipalities for Tolerance” programme provides participating local authorities with specialised technical advice and training, a self-assessment questionnaire to evaluate local governance against the principles set out in the project's municipal Charter, and external evaluations every two years. This system, developed by Deusto, has already been implemented in towns and cities such as Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Sabadell.
The ultimate aim of these tools is to demonstrate that cultural and religious diversity in urban settings should not be managed merely as a matter of public order or in a way that segregates minorities. On the contrary, it is seen as an opportunity for human, social and economic development that benefits all citizens in democratic and free societies.
