Guidelines on legal personality of religious or belief communities focus of Madrid event co-organized by ODIHR

International standards in the area of legal recognition of religious or belief communities and progress towards their implementation in Spain were the focus of an event co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Madrid on 30 October 2018.

Representatives of public authorities, civil society organizations, religious and belief communities and academia took part in the event, which was organized in co-operation with Spain’s Ministry of Justice, the Spanish Diplomatic School and the Permanent Mission of Spain to the OSCE.

The event featured the release of the Spanish-language version of the Guidelines on the Legal Personality of Religious or Belief Communities, originally published in English by ODIHR and the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission. 

“Acquiring legal personality is a vital aspect of the full realization of the right to freedom of religion or belief,” said Katarzyna Gardapkhadze, ODIHR’s First Deputy Director. “It is therefore of utmost importance that participating States use the recommendations and good practice examples contained in this publication. This way they can ensure that the registration systems they design are firmly anchored in international human rights standards and OSCE commitments.”

Zoila Combalia, a member of the ODIHR Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief, said: “The ODIHR publication addresses the compatibility of granting a specific legal status with respect for freedom of religion or belief. This may be particularly useful in countries such as Spain, where there are co-operation agreements between religious or belief communities and the State.”

The Guidelines are a product of extensive consultations with government officials and civil society from various parts of the OSCE region. Besides English and Spanish, the publication is available in Russian, Tajik, Turkish and Ukrainian.