We Act.
Local Democracy.
We act in defence of local democracy, in the promotion of good practices in participatory governance and in the co-creation of policies and we defend that local and regional governments have a key role in multilevel governance.
IOPD Annual Conference on Local Democracy
The International Observatory on Participatory Democracy, part of the World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments, organizes each year a global conference on the state of local democracy, focusing on a specific theme. This meeting brings together local leaders, representatives of local and regional governments together with experts and members of civil society to share experiences and advance the agenda for local democracy.
Award Best Practice in Citizen Participation
This is an annual award with which the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy IOPD and UCLG aims to acknowledge democratic innovations that have been developed at the local and regional level. This award, which has been presented since 2006, recognizes good practices and identifies and disseminates local experiences that deepen and improve local and regional democracy.
Global Democracy Coalition Coalition
The Global Democracy Coalition was formed in October of 2021, convened by International IDEA and other democracy and democracy assistance organizations from around the world. The goal was to create an informal group of organizations committed to the advancement of democracy, working together to engage constructively with the Summit for Democracy.
We care to defend and strengthen local democracy, trust in citizenship and full respect for rights.
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News
UCLG joins the Global Democracy Coalition
COVID-19 has had a strong impact on local and regional governments and has affected electoral processes, meetings of municipal councils and political bodies, and decision-making processes at the local level.
Local and regional governments met in the Live Learning session, organized by UCLG, UN-Habitat and Metropolis to show their political commitment to decision-making at the local level to achieve their role as drivers of change. The solidarity, local democracy, and protection of the common good shown by local and regional governments will be vital to rethink our societies in the wake of the pandemic.
News
Grenoble hosted the 21st IOPD Conference from December 7 to 10, 202
More than 600 participants from over 60 countries shared and discussed democratic renewal, climate justice and participatory methodologies at the world summit of cities for democracy.
The municipality of Grenoble, with the support of Grenoble Alpes Métropole, other French cities and organizations working in the field of participatory democracy, hosted the annual meeting from December 7 to 10. This meeting was part of the closing of the European Green Capital 2022 and other events such as the meeting of cities in transition or the meeting of the network of French associative centers.
News
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has won the 16th Award Best Practice in Citizen Participation
The awards were delivered during the 21st IOPD Conference in Grenoble on December 9
In this year’s edition, 122 nominations were submitted and then evaluated by a jury of experts after having passed a first stage of evaluation by peers.
#CitiesAreListening
UCLG Cities Are Listening on Local Democracy
Local democracy has been challenged in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. Measures to contain the spread of the virus has imposed limits on individual freedoms. Moreover, some state actors found in the health crisis an alibi for recentralisation.
This session addressed the renewal of local democracy, an integral aspect of the Pact for the Future. The debates articulate how the lessons learned during the pandemic could allow us to bring the UCLG Decalogue for the COVID-19 era to the ground.
Declaration
Grenoble Declaration: the ecological transition and social justice will only be achieved with the participation of all!
The 21st Conference of the IOPD, the World Summit on Participatory Democracy, was held in Grenoble, France, from December 7 to 10, 2021. Its theme was “Taking Action! Towards a democratic renewal in the face of the ecological, health and social crisis”. It was held symbolically in the European Green Capital, a title awarded by the European Commission each year to cities that are particularly ambitious in their commitment to fight climate change and preserve biodiversity.
Participatory budgets, participation systems, initiatives led by citizens to increase green spaces in their cities, work sites open to the public, culture for all, citizen’s climate assemblies, municipalism, democratic, social and ecological transition: the subjects were multitudinous, participants were numerous and diverse, and the exchanges were rich. During these three days of exchanges, we have covered a large number of subjects that reflect the challenges we are facing collectively.
The 21st IOPD conference was a mirror of the challenges of the 21st century.
Agenda
IOPD Agenda for local democracy
The Agenda for Local Democracy is composed of a series of recommendations for local governments from around the world to improve democracy in their institutions. It was done through a co-creation process at the PARTICIPATE OIDP platform and approved the 27th November 2018 during the IOPD General Assembly. You will find the original text here and an infographic with the highlights of the agenda here.
Experiences
Compilation of experiences in local democracy
The International Observatory on Participatory Democracy hosts a compilation of good practices in co-creation, participation and local democracy policies.