The international conference "Governance of Religious Diversity: Comparing Models, Sharing Best Practices, and Deepening Bilateral and International Cooperation for Peaceful Coexistence" was held at the University of Vienna on 29 April 2026. The University of Vienna (Research Centre for Religion and Transformation, RaT) and the Austrian Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs (BMEIA) organised the conference in cooperation with the City of Vienna.
The conference was organised as an academic and political supporting event for the 9th Austria-Indonesia Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue that was held in Graz from 27 to 28 April 2026. While the bilateral format focused on Austria and Indonesia, the conference in Vienna addressed an audience of international experts from science, diplomacy, religious communities, and civil society.
100 participants from many countries
Around 100 participants from more than a dozen countries discussed four different topics in four panels: legal and institutional framework conditions for freedom of religion and protection of minorities, religious education and social cohesion, preventing radicalisation, and the role of the interreligious dialogue in foreign policies and multilateral cooperation. A reception at Vienna City Hall concluded the conference. At the reception, host Omar Al-Rawi, member of the Vienna City Council, presented Vienna's key urban and international policies.
Speakers
The speakers included high-ranking representatives of the Austrian Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs, of the Office of Religious Affairs at the Austrian Federal Chancellery, of the Indonesian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Religious Affairs, of the Holy See, of the International Dialogue Centre KAICIID in Lisbon, of the Leimena Institute in Jakarta, of the Austrian religious communities, and of the Universities of Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck and Salzburg.
Unique institutional tradition
Austria brings a unique institutional tradition to this dialogue: Islam was officially recognised in Austria in 1912; Austria has a system of 16 officially recognised religious communities operating as public bodies and plays an active role in the multilateral dialogues of the OSCE and the United Nations. The University of Vienna, which hosted the conference, is also home to the Research Centre for Religion and Transformation (RaT) that hosted the annual conference of the European Academy of Religion in 2025 with 1,200 experts from more than 60 countries. The task force "Dialogue of Cultures" was established at the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs in 2007 to promote dialogue and peaceful coexistence.
Vienna, as the seat of the United Nations, the OSCE and the OPEC, has once again proven to be a natural European venue for a comparative governance exchange whose relevance extends far beyond bilateral partners.