Local Roundup | July 2024

Here’s our monthly roundup of updates from the OGP Local community for July 2024. If you missed any of the previous roundups, you can find them here!

ADVANCING OPEN GOVERNMENT PROCESSES 

• 55 new members joined the OGP Local onboarding sessions in June, covering open government fundamentals, and co-creation, implementation, and learning of the OGP action plan.
• The State of Goiás (Brazil) and the Research Support Foundation aligned strategies for the creation and monitoring of the state’s first open government plan. 
• Madrid (Spain) launched a public consultation on housing issues, including public housing, affordable rentals, sustainability, planning, and purchase assistance.
• Banská Bystrica (Slovakia) engaged with residents to discuss community improvements and project development plans as part of the local participatory budgeting process.
• Explore valuable insights from the Final Learning Exercises on the OGP action plan recently conducted in Akhaltsikhe (Georgia) and El Kef (Tunisia).

AMPLIFYING COMMUNITY VOICES

• The OGP Local Circle on “Social Actions in Climate Mitigation and Adaptation” featured São Paulo, Quintana Roo, Buenos Aires, Scotland, Semarang, People Powered, and WRI. Participants shared insights on innovative open government solutions for climate challenges. Access the  video summary and full recording.
• OGP Local members, Curridabat (Costa Rica), São Paulo (Brazil), Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas (Ecuador), Quintana Roo (Mexico), and others participated in Costa Rica’s First International Congress on Open State and Governance, sharing insights, discussing initiatives and planning future actions to advance open state.
• Kyiv and Ternopil (Ukraine) presented their projects on digital governance and youth involvement at a seminar hosted by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. 
• Six OGP Local members are finalists at the “Good Practice in Citizen Participation” Award by OIDP: Aragon (Spain), Santiago (Chile), Cordoba (Argentina), Goiás (Brazil), Contagem (Brazil), Nuevo Leon (Mexico). 
• Peñalolén (Chile) hosted a session on “Adultocentrism as a System of Domination” as part of the ‘[Re]thinking and [Re]discovering Youth through a Critical Lens’ series. Future sessions in July and August will focus on deepening youth participation and participatory methodologies.
• Representatives from the Wassa Amenfi East Municipal Assembly (Ghana), Friends of the Nation, the Africa Center for Energy Policy and other stakeholders monitored progress on their OGP commitment to improve sanitation and access to clean drinking water, in collaboration with the private sector during a visit to a mechanized borehole project.
• OGP Local members in Morocco came together at a workshop organized by the Ministry of Interior and the Association of Moroccan Regions to share their knowledge, successes, and challenges, and learn from each other’s open government experiences.

REINFORCING OPEN GOVERNMENT COMMITMENTS 

• Ontario (Canada) Information Commissioner endorsed a global statement from the International Conference of Information Commissioners that emphasizes the role of access rights in promoting transparency, accountability, and citizen empowerment in the digital age.
• Ouellé (Côte d’Ivoire) launched a 25-year Strategic Development Plan that promotes the participation of community associations, elected officials, public and private sectors.

PARTNER COLLABORATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES

• As part of their project to enhance governance in Montenegro, IRI Montenegro has been working with new OGP Local members, Bar, Plav, and Zabljak, to co-create their first action plan. This includes developing roadmaps for environmental commitments, proposing a permanent Committee for Local Self-Government in Montenegro’s Parliament, and organizing events for Open Gov Week. 
• People Powered hosted a webinar exploring challenges and innovations in participatory democracy for climate action, spotlighting global and local experiences. 
• Pre-register for the 2024 IOPD Conference that takes place in Valongo, Portugal, from October 17-19. The conference will explore the risks of populism and promote civic participation, highlighting how participatory democracy supports pluralism and the common good in public policies.
• Applications for the 2026 European Capital of Democracy open this September, offering your city a unique opportunity to lead a year-long program dedicated to enhancing democracy through vibrant events and projects.
• Civitates opened a call for proposals from civil society organizations in Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and France aimed at protecting and expanding civic space. Apply before August 18, 2024!

MEET THE OPEN GOV CHALLENGE

Fight corruption by developing, strengthening, and/or implementing a legislation, strategy, or roadmap for open contracting. Follow examples like Kaduna (Nigeria), Sekondi-Takoradi (Ghana), and Nuevo Leon (Mexico) who enhanced infrastructure transparency and monitoring by publishing procurement data and collaborating with civil society.  Similarly, Santa Catarina (Brazil) published a Procurement Transparency Protocol and trained public officials in procurement risk management.

Learn more about the Open Gov Challenge and take a look at the following resources for fighting corruption.