07 May 2021
Madrid Headquarters
The “Municipalities for Tolerance” programme was officially presented in Madrid last 7 May by the Spanish Deputy Prime Minister, Carmen Calvo, the President of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, Abel Caballero, the Director of the Pluralism and Coexistence Foundation, Inés Mazarrasa, and the Rector of the University of Deusto, José María Guibert. The programme aims to help local governments manage religious diversity in a democratic, inclusive and plural manner.
“Municipalities for Tolerance” is a programme to promote, evaluate and advise all municipalities in Spain. Bilbao City Council has been one of the first to join this initiative promoted by the Ministry of the Presidency, through the public Pluralism and Coexistence Foundation, which in 2020 commissioned the University of Deusto’s Human Rights Institute to design and develop it.
This project aims to give visibility to the local councils’ commitment to applying basic principles and objectives in the management of religious diversity contained in a 'Charter', which includes a Declaration of Principles and provides the municipalities signing it with a series of tools and resources necessary to improve their day-to-day management of this reality.
As José María Guibert, Rector of the University of Deusto, pointed out, “We want to promote something very important for our coexistence. We seek to adequately manage the religious fact, which refers to people' s message of peace and spiritual maturity. Since this is sometimes understood in different ways and misunderstandings arise, it is very important to see diversity as cultural wealth and cooperation between the different public administrations, entities and municipalities".
In his opinion, "religious and cultural diversity is not a problem, but an opportunity. A society without diversity cannot be free. It is not merely a question of public order, but something intended for all citizens and which benefits everyone. Municipalities have a key role to play in this regard", said Rector Guibert, confirming the University of Deusto's commitment to providing tools and resources to help achieve the programme’s aims. Full speech.
On the other hand, Inés Mazarrasa Steinkuhler, director of the Pluralism and Coexistence Foundation, highlighted that: "The diversity of beliefs is part of our social reality. The presence of more confessions in addition to Catholicism has increased and new needs have arisen. It is therefore necessary to ensure the right to religious freedom, which poses a series of specific issues that entities and administrations must respond to. This programme is a further step, a full framework of reference to promote good management practices".
The “Municipalities for Tolerance” project also has the support of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) and the initial municipalities of Bilbao, Burgos, Cartagena, Malaga, Guadalajara, Fuenlabrada, Castellón and Valladolid. After the presentation, all municipalities in Spain that wish to join the programme will be able to do so.
Bilbao City Council and the Human Rights Institute
In addition to being a development and innovation project in the field of local policies, “Municipalities for Tolerance” is a clear example of the transfer and impact of university research and consultancy work.
The University of Deusto, through the Human Rights Institute, has been working on religious diversity for 12 years, during which it has developed 3 competitive projects exclusively dedicated to the subject, 14 research and consultancy contracts and agreements with the local governments of Bilbao, Vitoria and San Sebastian, the Basque Government and the Spanish Government, as well as numerous publications, outreach activities and several doctoral theses on the subject.
Bilbao City Council showed its interest in participating and its commitment to this project since its inception in 2020, hand in hand with the University of Deusto's Institute of Human Rights, with which it has maintained an ongoing relationship on the subject. This has been particularly specified in the commissioning of the coordination of the municipality's Religious Diversity Board to this institute.
Democracy and diversity
The presentation ceremony also included short videos of the mayors of the first city councils that have already joined the initiative. In the case of Bilbao, Councillor Itziar Urtasun spoke on behalf of Mayor Juan María Aburto. Abel Caballero, President of the FEMP, thanked Carmen Calvo for supporting the institution he presides, which deals with issues "that have to do with coexistence, equality, the fight against sexism, a way of acting in which values occupy a central place".
Carmen Calvo, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidency, closed the event. "The reality of our country is one of religious diversity and this cannot be denied. Democracy is born to accept, sustain and protect it. Good politics must never deny reality," she said.
Some of the benefits offered by the “Municipalities for Tolerance” programme include the possibility of requesting specialised technical advice; access to a self-diagnosis questionnaire that provides councils with information on the level of adaptation of their management to the principles and objectives of the Charter and guidance on the implementation of specific measures; the possibility of requesting training tailored to their needs and participation in forums for the exchange of experiences between municipalities. All this was presented by a large group of experts.
