On 14–15 October 2026, the Committee of Experts on Intercultural Inclusion (ADI-INT) held its 10th meeting in Madrid, Spain, to advance its work on practical tools and policy approaches that help member States strengthen intercultural inclusion and its effective multilevel governance, contributing to more resilient societies and democracy.
The Committee reviewed progress on the online implementation of the Self-assessment tool on multilevel governance for intercultural integration and its accompanying repository of resources and practices, to be soon publicly available to authorities at all levels of governance and other stakeholders. The tool will help assess multilevel governance of migrant integration, strengthen coordination across levels of government, and support continuous improvement and peer learning.
Work continued on the new peer-learning and benchmarking tool on inclusion strategies, designed to support learning and exchanges of practices for the development of more comprehensive, mainstreamed and intersectional approaches to inclusion strategies across levels of governance.
Members also examined progress on a forthcoming analytical study on spatial segregation of migrants and people with a migration background, discussing emerging findings and next steps.
The Committee further exchanged views on its future priorities and draft Terms of Reference for 2028–2031. In this context, it reflected on the tangible impact of its previous work in shaping national and local policies across member States. It also emphasized the unique added value of ADI-INT as the only intergovernmental forum with a distinct multilevel governance composition, bringing together national, regional, and local authorities, and as the only international body applying intercultural inclusion based on a unique, evidence-based standard codified by the Council of Europe, distinguished by its focus on meaningful interaction as a key policy objective to strengthen democratic resilience.
A key highlight of the meeting was the high-level event Inclusive Societies, Stronger Democracies: Building a shared future where everyone can contribute, belong and thrive, held on 15 October in collaboration with the Spanish Observatory of Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE). Bringing together representatives of national and local authorities, civil society, academia and inclusion experts, the event explored how intercultural policies and community engagement can strengthen inclusive democracies and democratic resilience.
The event also provided an opportunity to present and promote the ADI-INT document 10 Principles to Revitalise Democracy in Diverse Societies. The 10 Principles set out a shared framework for revitalising democracy in diverse societies and constitute a contribution by ADI-INT to the New Democratic Pact for Europe. Following the event, the Committee discussed their dissemination, promotion and implementation, and called on relevant Council of Europe bodies to endorse and support the document.
The Committee also welcomed the address by Pilar Cancela Rodríguez, Secretary of State for Migration at Spain’s Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, who underlined that inclusion is a prerequisite for democratic resilience and expressed strong support for the 10 Principles.
The meeting concluded with discussions on strengthening practical cooperation among member States through the piloting and implementation of ADI-INT tools and guidance.
10 Principles to Revitalise Democracy in Diverse Societies can be downloaded here
