OGP Local Welcomes 55 New Members

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The 2023 call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) has ended and 55 local governments are joining the OGP Local program. Access the full press release here.

Results of the OGP Local 2023 Call for Expressions of Interest

The Support Unit received a total of 138 expressions of interest during the call held between September 2023 and January 2024. All complete expressions of interest were assessed by the Support Unit and the OGP Local 2023 Selection Committee composed of six government and non-governmental stakeholders from the OGP Steering Committee, current OGP Local members and civil society representatives, and the OGP Support Unit.

The Selection Committee members were: Philip Thigo (Government of Kenya), Natalia Carfi (Open Data Charter), Maria Pia Junquera (Government of Madrid), Tamar Ghlonti (Institute for Change and Innovation, Georgia), Shreya Basu (OGP SUpport Unit), and Rudi Borrmann (OGP Support Unit).

The list of all candidates and application materials can be accessed here. The Selection Committee has reviewed all shortlisted applicants and reached a consensus on the 55 finalists to be invited to join OGP Local in 2024. These finalists were selected based on the assessment of criteria outlined in the call for expressions of interest, including the value proposition to join OGP, high-level political commitment, the government’s track record in open government reforms, and engagement with local non-governmental stakeholders. In addition, other factors were considered to ensure a diverse cohort, such as regional balance, type of jurisdiction, and population size, as well as different strengths to complement the overall objectives of OGP Local.

We are pleased to announce the newest 55 members of OGP Local!

• Africa-MENA
• Ouellé, Côte d’Ivoire
• Tamale, Ghana
• Kakamega, Kenya
• Machakos, Kenya
• Agadir, Morocco
• Souss-Massa + Oriental + Drâa-Tafilalet + Laayoune Sakia El Hamra (Consortium), Morocco
• Anambra East, Nigeria
• Ville de Dakar, Senegal
• Yoff, Senegal
• Dar Chaabane El Fehri, Tunisia
• Zriba, Tunisia
• 
  Americas
• Mar de Plata, Argentina
• La Paz, Bolivia
• State of Goias, Brazil
• Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil
• Santiago + Renca (Consortium), Chile
• San Joaquin, Chile
• Medellin, Colombia
• Pichincha, Ecuador
• Pastaza, Ecuador
• Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala
• San Jeronimo, Guatemala
• Villanueva, Honduras
• Cajamarca, Peru
• New York City, USA
• Rio Branco, Uruguay
• 
  Asia and the Pacific
• Metsamor, Armenia
• Madiun, Indonesia
• West Java, Indonesia
• Yogyakarta, Indonesia
• Osh, Kyrgyz Republic
• Fuvahmulah, Maldives
• Baguio, Philippines
• Larena, Philippines
• Quezon, Philippines
• Tagbilaran, Philippines
• 
  Europe
• Travnik, Bosnia Herzegovina
• Modriča, Bosnia Herzegovina
• Zagreb, Croatia
• Athens, Greece
• Gjakova, Kosovo
• Prishtina, Kosovo
• Bar, Montenegro
• Plav, Montenegro
• Žabljak, Montenegro
• Kisela Voda, North Macedonia
• Lisbon, Portugal
• Valongo, Portugal
• Topoľčany, Slovak Republic
• Navarra, Spain
• Causeni, Republic of Moldova
• Leova, Republic of Moldova
• Kyiv, Ukraine
• Orzhytsia + Zviahel (Consortium), Ukraine
• Greater Manchester Combined Authority, United Kingdom

These jurisdictions join the current cohort of existing members and will co-create their first action plans in 2024.

We invite all applicants to join the OGP Local Community of Practice. Join OGP Local on Slack and connect with reformers in and outside of government to exchange experiences and resources. In the coming months, we will be announcing a series of virtual community events focusing on various open government thematic policy areas.

Why Join OGP Local

Joining OGP Local comes with benefits for government and non-governmental stakeholders (civil society organizations, community organizations/groups, citizen councils/groups, citizen-led social movements, co-ops, local chambers of commerce, universities, youth councils/groups, etc.)involved in the process. By joining, jurisdictions become members of a global community of local open government leaders.

An OGP action plan offers the opportunity for governments, citizens, civil society, and other non-governmental organizations to sit at the table and jointly define a plan to make the place where they live more open.

OGP Local members have access to:

• A global network with more than 150 national and local governments and more than 3,000 civil society organizations in all continents. OGP is a global platform for governments and civil society to come together, identify solutions to challenges, and leverage civil society and other stakeholders in implementing reforms.
• Mentorships, research and knowledge products, peer exchanges, and thematic and issue-based learning circles. OGP has the largest community of practice on open government with practitioners who can offer expertise and practical lessons to local members seeking to advance open government reforms in a variety of different policy areas from participatory budgeting, to climate action, to digital governance.
• Featuring open government achievements through OGP’s communication channels, events, and awards. OGP shines a global spotlight on the work of reformers and successful reforms through its global convenings, stories, videos, and peer exchange opportunities.
• Online structured orientation and ongoing training on open government. The online orientation builds the capacity and skills of government and non-governmental stakeholders to apply open government principles to their work within and outside their OGP Local process.

New members will receive guidance and support to plan, design, and implement their open government reforms; co-create an OGP action plan; and set up their evaluation and learning system.

For more information, check out our brochure here.

Eligibility

Local jurisdictions (states, provinces, devolved nations, cities, towns, municipalities, and other tiers of administration) from countries participating in OGP that are not suspended at the time of applications and local jurisdictions in non-participating countries eligible to join OGP can apply to join OGP Local.

There is no population threshold for applying jurisdictions.