25 June 2026
Bilbao
The third and final seminar scheduled within the framework of the DIVERPOMU research project has taken place today. The event, entitled "Religious Diversity and Public Management: New Perspectives and Artificial Intelligence", was held in the Kortabarria Room at the University of Deusto in Bilbao.
The seminar took place in the context of the Knowledge Generation Research Project "Religious diversity and democratic coexistence: analysis and proposals for municipal policies" (ref. PID2023-149877NB-100), funded by the Spanish State Research Agency of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, as well as within the European RETO project.
Addressing the challenges faced by local authorities
The management of religious diversity represents a major challenge for public institutions today, particularly in a secular but unevenly plural society in terms of traditions. The seminar was designed to explore practical policy alternatives for local authorities, which often lack the resources or expertise required to design policies that ensure freedom of religion and coexistence in diversity.
To address this, the session focused on the exchange of good practices and on analysing the emerging role that artificial intelligence may play in the public management of religious and cultural minorities.
An international programme
The event featured a distinguished panel of national and international experts who shared their analysis and reflections:
- Eduardo Ruiz Vieytez (University of Deusto): opened the session by presenting the latest updates and developments in the Diverpomu Project.
- Roberta Medda-Windischer (European Academy of Bolzano, Italy): offered a European perspective, analysing trends and impacts of artificial intelligence on the governance of religious minorities at local and regional level.
- Xabier Riezu (University of Deusto): presented a detailed analysis of trends and perspectives in religious affiliation in the Basque Country and Spain.
- Siniša Zrinščak (University of Zagreb, Croatia): shared experiences of public management of religious diversity in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina under the evocative title "Governing religions by non-doing".
After the presentations, the day concluded with an open discussion among attendees, reinforcing a space for reflection essential to building more inclusive and plural cities.
About the project: DIVERPOMU is a research project dedicated to analysing and proposing municipal policies that promote democratic coexistence and respect for freedom of religion among all citizens and spiritual groups. With the conclusion of this third seminar, the cycle of events planned under the project comes to a close.
