The new partnership extends KAICIID's regional reach across 23 Member States in Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula, anchoring interreligious and intercultural dialogue within one of the world's largest cooperation frameworks for education, science and culture.
At a moment defined by deepening polarisation, the spread of misinformation, and the erosion of social trust, the International Dialogue Centre – KAICIID and the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the 12th of May 2026 in Lisbon, formalising a strategic partnership that places interreligious and intercultural dialogue, education, and social cohesion at the centre of joint cooperation across the Ibero-American region.
The agreement was signed by Ambassador António de Almeida Ribeiro, Acting Secretary General of KAICIID, and H.E. Mr. Mariano Jabonero, Secretary General of OEI. It establishes a framework for cooperation in five priority areas: interreligious and intercultural dialogue for social cohesion, intercultural literacy, the prevention of hate speech, the protection of sacred sites, and sacred ecology. The two organisations will operationalise the MoU through a Joint Action Plan, technical consultations, and concrete initiatives in the coming months.
In recent years, the OEI has helped to strengthen multilateral dialogue. That is precisely our role: to bridge the gap between international debate and local action, forging meaningful partnerships such as the one we are now formalising with KAICIID. We want to foster a diplomacy of knowledge that transforms ambition into the capacity for action,” said Mariano Jabonero.
The partnership is particularly timely. Across the world, communities are confronting rising polarisation, misinformation, and social fragmentation. In this context, the MoU responds to a clear imperative: to strengthen trust, foster mutual understanding, and promote a culture of peace rooted in respect for diversity.
Building on a Regional Trajectory
The signing marks a significant new step in KAICIID's expanding engagement across Latin America and the Caribbean. In December 2025, the Centre co-organised the Latin America and Caribbean Conference on Fostering Cultures of Peace through Interreligious Dialogue and Education, held at the University for Peace (UPEACE) in Costa Rica, together with Religions for Peace – Latin America and Caribbean and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. That gathering brought together 23 leading policymakers, educators, religious leaders, scholars and representatives of indigenous communities, and produced a regional commitment to advancing peace and interreligious education through formal and non-formal learning.
The OEI partnership now consolidates that momentum within a far broader institutional framework. With 23 Member States spanning Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula and Equatorial Guinea, OEI offers a powerful platform to scale the regional vision generated in Costa Rica, embedding dialogue-based approaches within national education systems, cultural institutions, and youth and civic programmes across the Ibero-American space.
Education as a Transformative Force
The MoU places particular emphasis on the transformative role of education. Teachers, students, and educational institutions play a critical role in shaping attitudes toward diversity and inclusion. OEI's extensive experience across the region, including its strategic lines on educational inclusion, leadership and governance, innovation, and its Human Rights and Citizenship Education programme launched in 2022, provides a strong foundation to translate dialogue into long-term societal impact.
Both organisations also reaffirmed a shared commitment to inclusivity, ensuring the meaningful participation of youth, women, educators, and local and faith-based actors in all joint efforts. "Education without dialogue risks teaching division. Dialogue without education risks remaining a conversation among the few. Through this partnership with OEI, KAICIID is investing in a generation that will inherit not the fractures of today, but the tools to mend them." Ambassador António de Almeida Ribeiro underlined.
About the partner
Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Madrid, the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI) is the principal intergovernmental body for cooperation in education, science, technology and culture across Ibero-America. It works through national offices in 19 countries and obtained UN Observer Status at the UN General Assembly in 2023. Its work spans early childhood education, educational inclusion, higher education and sciences, multilingualism, cultural citizenship, human rights education, and digital transformation.
Looking ahead
With the signature of this MoU, KAICIID and OEI move into a new phase of cooperation. The Joint Action Plan currently under development will translate shared objectives into measurable initiatives, and a series of technical consultations will follow in the coming months to define joint priorities and modalities of cooperation.
The Centre stands ready to work closely with OEI, alongside its existing regional partners, to expand the reach of dialogue-driven education and to strengthen the social fabric of communities across Latin America, the Caribbean and the wider Ibero-American region.