How to Engage at the 2023 OGP Global Summit

As with any OGP summits, there will be lots of opportunities to get involved with the 2023 OGP Global Summit in Tallinn, Estonia. We’re looking to make this the most interactive and participatory summit yet. Here we outline what’s to come and a few different ways that the open government community have already shaped the Summit.

Opportunities before the Summit

Ahead of September, we are seeking to engage the OGP community to help shape and organize the Summit and its content. Here is how the community is involved.

Community Feedback

Most recently, we shared the preliminary thematic agenda with the community for feedback. This was developed by the Community Content Leads and reviewed by the Advisory Board and the Summit Organizing Team (read more about these groups and the process to create the Summit program here). In total, 108 people sent valuable input, leaving 292 comments and 359 votes. For a more detailed overview of the community feedback and our reasoned response, check our report here. Thanks to this, the Summit Organizing Team and Advisory Board identified gaps and missing topics and added a few new sessions to the agenda and integrated other ideas into existing sessions and tracks.

Session Organizers

Finally in the agenda process, we invited session organizers to lead and host sessions at the Summit. These session organizers were suggested by the Community Content Leads, shortlisted by the Summit Organizing Team, and reviewed by the Advisory Board. Each session will have two or three organizers, from a diversity of backgrounds ensuring representation from government and civil society and from across all global regions. Session organizers will be responsible for taking on board the feedback of the community on their session, though they will have freedom to design it as they see fit. We will release a more detailed agenda in early July. 

Opportunities during the Summit

Fun, creative, playful, interactive – these are some of the watchwords for this Summit. The goal is to make the Summit less of a conference and more of a festival, a home away from home for all reformers, a place where all can come together to be partners in democracy. 

Session Speakers and Contributors

Summit sessions will deploy a range of different formats – from fish bowls and debates, to workshops and challenge clinics – and we expect all sessions at the Summit to have high levels of participation. In relevant sessions, organizers will select members of the community as speakers and contributors who will be listed in the Summit program. There will also be lots of opportunities for discussion and showcasing your own work. We will share more information about these opportunities in the coming weeks.

Networking 

There will be plenty of opportunities for formal and informal meetings during the Summit. While we encourage participants to make use of the many cafés and restaurants in the venue and designated networking spaces and sessions to make new connections and have insightful discussions, here are some concrete opportunities to consider:

• In the afternoon of September 5, Estonian civil society will host workshops and open their doors to visitors. 
• Participants get a chance to meet and discuss with OGP’s Steering CommitteeThe Steering Committee is OGP’s executive decision-making body. Its role is to develop, promote and safeguard OGP’s values, principles and interests; establish OGP’s core ideas, policies, and ru... members.
• After the main agenda programming on Wednesday, September 6, there will also be an opportunity to host your own networking table and join others in a designated space at the Summit venue. Keep an eye on the Summit website for more information in the future.

Side Events

To advance their policy and networking goals, partner governments, civil society, and multilateral organizations will also have the opportunity to host workshops, consultations, and other events on the sidelines of the OGP Global Summit on September 4 and 8. Consider coming to Tallinn a bit earlier and/or staying a bit later to participate in these events. Side events that are open to Summit participants will be listed on the Summit website. More information on hosting a side event is available here.

OGP Global Summits are for and are co-created with the open government community to reflect the needs, challenges, and opportunities present across the Partnership. This year’s Summit offers a number of opportunities for open government reformers in government, civil society, and beyond to connect, exchange ideas, and find solutions to common problems to make open government the norm across the globe. We look forward to seeing you in Tallinn in September, and don’t hesitate to reach out to summit@opengovpartnership.org if you have any questions.