Local Roundup | January 2024

Here’s our monthly roundup of updates from the OGP Local community for January 2024.

EMPOWERING LOCAL VOICES

• Yerevan, Armenia is seeking citizen proposals for its new OGP Local action plan. Citizens in Yerevan can submit their ideas by February 1st to zargacum@yerevan.am. 
• Madrid’s City Council, Spain held a public consultation to co-create their fourth OGP action plan. Learn more here.
• Khoni Municipality, Georgia established a Youth Advisory Council, which will develop a youth strategy and action plan. It will also engage in consultations, propose budgetary initiatives, and create a dedicated space for training and youth involvement.

SHOWCASING ACCOUNTABILITY

• Check out Scotland’s 2022-2023 highlights to learn more about their progress on OGP commitments.
• The government of Nuevo Leon State, Mexico and civil society representatives discussed achievements, learnings, and challenges in the implementation of their first OGP action plan and committed to keep increasing public participation in the State’s decisions. 
• Osasco, Brazil celebrates the one year anniversary of their open data decree. You can explore the City Council’s accomplishments on open data and follow Osasco Aberta on LinkedIn for insights on their upcoming initiatives.
• Explore valuable insights from the OGP action plan Final Learning Exercises recently conducted in Mendoza, Argentina, the Valencian Community and Aragon, Spain. 

AWARDS AND INNOVATIONS

• Aragon’s government, Spain received the “Audaz Awards“, from the International Open Government Academic Network for their programs “Gobierno Facil” and “VisualGob”. 
• The Valencian government, Spain promotes a registry of algorithms and AI in public administration in collaboration with the University of Valencia and the Polytechnic University to ensure transparency and prevent discrimination in automated decision-making.

RECAP OF PAST ENGAGEMENTS

• Bogota, Colombia; Peñalolen, Chile; Aragon and Basque Country, Spain organized the inaugural session of the OGP Local Circle on Inclusion: “Ibero-American learning and challenges in Open Government”. Watch the recording!
• Local government representatives from Ukraine learned more about OGP and the opportunity to join OGP Local. 

UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

• LAST DAYS TO APPLY: The application process to become a new OGP Local member is open until January 26. Access all the relevant information to prepare your application and watch the latest recording of our informational sessions. 
• Join Consul Democracy’s online Community Meet-up series on January 24 at 17 CET. Specialists on participation from San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico will share experiences from five cycles of participatory budgeting. Register here.
• The National Institute of Public Administration of Spain will hold the “Open Government Day in Local Administration: Experiences, Lessons, and Future Challenges” on February 29. 
• On February 13-14, DemocracyNext is hosting two events to share ways Citizens Assemblies can  democratize decisions on housing, urban issues, climate change, public health, and mobility. 

LOCAL EXPERIENCES IN SOCIAL MEDIA CARDS

• Check out how Madrid, Spain, involved Youth in decision-making.
• Learn more about how Timişoara, Romania is working to increase citizen participation.

If you missed any of the previous roundups, you can now find them here!