An OGP Local Deep Dive is an in-depth webinar that focuses on a theme to provide nuanced information on the topic. They seek to support reformers in co-creating, implementing, and evaluating ambitious open government commitments. These sessions also help connect reformers with global partners and resources.
SESSIONS
Access to Information
Digital Governance
Open Data
Fiscal Openness
Public Participation
Gender and Inclusion
Anti-Corruption
October 2025
About
Access to information is a cornerstone of open government, enabling citizens to understand, participate in, and influence the decisions that affect their lives. In this session, speakers from Lisbon (Portugal), Nandi County (Kenya), South Cotabato (Philippines), and Córdoba (Argentina) shared how they are ensuring that transparency improves people’s lives by going beyond the laws. The discussion highlighted how the real impact of access to information comes from leadership, collaboration, and culture change that turn openness into daily practice and civic empowerment.
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- Embedding transparency as a management system (Leonor Gaspar Pinto, Lisbon Municipality)
- Lisbon has made transparency a permanent system through its Transparency and Corruption Prevention Strategy.
- This system is supported by trained Access Officers, digital monitoring tools, and continuous staff training.
- Leadership and interdepartmental collaboration help sustain the system.
- Making access tangible and ensuring inclusive, proactive outreach (Jonathan Misoi, Nandi County)
- They created information hubs, call centers, and online feedback tools to make data accessible.
- Governments must bridge the rural digital divides by actively bringing information to where people are, whether through a portal or a notice board, youth training, or local committees.
- Youth and community engagement fosters a culture of innovation and openness, even with limited resources. (Marites Tanseco, South Cotabato (Philippines)
- South Cotabato is among the first in the Philippines to pass a Freedom of Information Ordinance.
- It engages citizens via livestreams, community visits, and public dialogues to ensure real-time transparency.
- They also train youth ambassadors to empower the next generation to promote openness and participation.
- Creating a culture of openness builds institutional trust and drives lasting reform (Gabriel Roberi, Province of Córdoba)
- Córdoba Province’s Open State agenda connects the executive, legislative, and judicial branches with civil society.
- Together with universities and experts, they co-created a new access to information law, ensuring legitimacy and long-term sustainability.
- The Province of Córdoba promotes information as a shared public good and highlights collaboration over competition, bridging institutions to strengthen trust.
- Leonor Gaspar Pinto – Lisbon Municipality, Portugal
- Jonathan Misoi – Nandi County, Kenya
- Marites Tanseco – South Cotabato, Philippines
- Gabriel Roberi – Province of Córdoba, Argentina
September 2025
About
Digital governance and AI at the local level present both opportunities and challenges. By applying open government values, local governments can ensure that digital tools and AI serve the public interest. This session examined how cities are approaching AI and digital governance, drawing on lessons from practitioners and civil society on building responsible and inclusive systems.
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- Digital governance at the local level:
- Digital governance is ensuring digital technologies serve the public interest and is applying open government values to all stages of selecting, designing, procuring, implementing, and overseeing digital tools to build trust at the local level.
- It is context-specific: no one-size-fits-all – governance depends on local needs, tools, and capacities.
- Digital governance goes beyond digital transformation by applying open government principles to the design, procurement, and oversight of technologies.
- AI Localism and city leadership (The GovLab):
- Cities are on the frontlines of global challenges; they are “labs of innovation” in AI governance, often leading the way in AI governance innovation at national and international levels.
- Key approaches include: adopting guiding principles, investing in literacy for citizens and officials, using AI registries, embedding standards in procurement, and aligning AI use with city strategies. Cities are pioneering AI governance while nations catch up.
- Data governance in practice (Hamburg):
- Digital governance and Data governance are not just technical; they focus on culture, participation, and transparency.
- When Data governance is citizen-centered and trust-building, policies reflect real needs and support evidence-based decisions.
- How can we ensure that data is not only used effectively, but also responsibly, so that it is a confidence-building measure? Hamburg organized Data Dialogues involving government, universities, and civil society to co-create policies.
- Rendering essential for evidence-based decision-making and protecting citizens’ rights while delivering better services
- Outcome of the Data Dialogues: gained a lot of insights into the current challenges and what the problems are, and defined roles (data stewards, owners, managers) and ethical frameworks (Implementation guide) support responsible data use.
- Collaborative approaches (Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Plateau State, ILDA):
- During a 3-day workshop in Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Plateau State, ILDA, Scotland, Paris, and Austin produced a joint document on AI and open government.
- They emphasize on a “virtuous circle”: AI can scale open government, and open government can ensure responsible AI, and on the important role local governments play in AI, as well as the localism theme. (Buenos Aires)
- Plateau State shared practical steps: pilot projects, AI registers, transparent procurement, and citizen engagement through e-governance portals. Openness with AI and open government practices enhances transparency, allowing citizens to participate in policy-making that affects their daily lives.
- Bogotá highlighted the dual role of local governments: adapting national laws while being closest to implementation and citizen needs, and presented “the Last Mile” concept, where AI meets citizens’ daily lives and can reinforce processes
- Civil society perspective (ILDA):
- We need to move beyond “black box” discussions and international forums focused on Global North requirements
- Civil society plays roles in bridging excluded groups, monitoring systems, and co-designing safeguards.
- ILDA advocates for a risk-based approach to AI governance that asks whether technologies should be used, not only whether they can be.
- Sarah Kennedy, OGP
- Stefaan Verhulst, The GovLab
- Laura Buttner, City of Hamburg
- Tamara Laznik, Buenos Aires
- Manji Wilson, Plateau State
- Alejandra Rodas, Bogotá
- Violeta Bellver, ILDA
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October 2024
About
Local governments have access to and collect large amounts of data from their communities, which helps them better understand and address people’s needs. Many local governments are now using open data to boost transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement. Using open data smartly can help governments make better decisions and more impactful policies.
This session explored strategies, services, and innovations related to open data and how they contribute to developing responsive solutions for communities.
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- Open data must move beyond portals: Governments must ensure data is accessible, in open formats (e.g., CSV, not PDFs), reusable, and tied to clear public value, a core message from the Open Data Charter.
- Local success stories show impact: In Nigeria, CSO BudgIT turned inaccessible budget PDFs into actionable civic data, exposing corruption. In Kenya, the police used multiple data sources to identify road crash hotspots, saving lives through targeted interventions.
- Open data supports gender equity: The Latin American Open Data Initiative (ILDA) highlighted how gender-disaggregated data and feminist data dialogues drive more inclusive and accountable public policies.
- Participation builds trust: The Open Data Institute (UK) emphasized the need for genuine, empowered citizen participation in shaping and using data. Examples from India (SafetyPin) and Barcelona (DECODE project) show how community data ownership improves services and rebuilds trust.
- Ana Gabriel, Iniciativa Latinoamericana por los Datos Abiertos
- Jenna Slotin, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data
- Natalia Carfi, Open Data Charter
- Ben Snaith, Open Data Institute
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October 2024
About
Citizens have the right to know and take part in how their governments collect and spend money. Opening up fiscal and spending processes can improve financial planning and efficiency, mitigate risks, and safeguard against corruption. This can translate to a better use of public resources to meet citizens’ needs.
This session explored how fiscal openness initiatives at the local level can empower communities to actively participate in shaping their local development priorities and ensuring fair resource allocation. Across all examples, a common lesson is that transparency alone is insufficient. Only when paired with structured participation, local ownership, and oversight mechanisms can fiscal openness translate into better governance and public trust.
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- Fiscal openness is expanding beyond basic budget disclosure to include tax, procurement, contract transparency, and citizen oversight.
- Local-level fiscal openness is more effective at driving citizen impact than aggregate national data. The World Bank’s experience with over 30 Nigerian states, through tools like Citizen Budgets and Citizen Accountability Reports, demonstrates how subnational efforts can improve service delivery and trust.
- Inclusive budgeting and subnational fiscal data help ensure equitable allocation and strengthen democratic accountability.
- International Budget Partnership (IBP) highlighted how CSOs working in Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa have helped shape budget and tax practices through grassroots mobilization and advocacy.
- From Abuja Municipal Area Council (Nigeria), practical experience showed how participatory budgeting allowed communities to allocate funds directly, enhancing trust and civic engagement.
- Citizen and CSO involvement in audit planning, execution, and follow-up can improve accountability, particularly when audit findings are translated into accessible formats and publicly tracked.
- Steven Davenport, World Bank
- Laura Castillo, International Budget Partnership
- Abiodun Essiet, Abuja (Nigeria)
- Renzo Lavin, Independent Consultant
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September 2024
About
Local governments, through public services, protection, and empowerment programs, are key in creating inclusive communities where everyone can thrive. Inclusive governance ensures diverse voices, including women and underrepresented groups, are heard in decision-making. Transparent and inclusive local governments can ensure that the needs of women and underrepresented groups are also met. This session explored examples of inclusion through open government, demonstrating how it can strengthen democracy and promote social justice.
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- Inclusive open government requires policies and services that reflect the diverse lived experiences of citizens, particularly those marginalized due to gender, age, disability, or migration status.
- One in four OGP Local commitments now focus on inclusion, signalling growing momentum among local governments to embed equity into governance practices.
- Open government helps women exercise their rights (The Carter Center): Improving access to information empowers women to make decisions, access services, and participate in public life. Yet barriers like illiteracy, caregiving burdens, and social norms persist, requiring targeted strategies like the Inform Women, Transform Lives campaign, which led to significant service uptake in cities like Bogotá and Nairobi.
- Open government must adapt to different realities, especially for people with disabilities (Peñalolén, Chile). Moving from an assistance model to a rights-based approach means addressing environmental barriers that limit participation.
- Youth participation must move beyond consultation toward co-creation. Accountability Lab uses creative, youth-led approaches such as music, film, and community discussions to help embed youth voices into governance in Zimbabwe, Nepal, and the DRC.
- The ALTXOR (Basque Country, Spain) project empowers citizens aged 60–100 to co-design support systems and build communities that support active aging and social participation.
- Institutionalising inclusion involves leadership and structured tools like gender assessments, disaggregated data, and inclusive decision-making forums.
- Laura Newman, The Carter Initiative
- Jaco Roets, Accountability Lab
- Cecilia Jiménez, Municipality of Penalolén (Chile)
- Rafael Lòpez-Arostegui, Basque Country (Spain)
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September 2024
About
Local governments play a crucial role in daily governance; they are closer to the people and can be more responsive to local needs. However, this proximity can also make them more susceptible to corruption risks. Addressing these risks requires a collaborative approach involving government officials, civil society organizations, the private sector, and citizens. By combating corruption effectively, local governments can preserve public trust, provide effective service delivery, and improve the quality of life for all citizens.
This session explored how local governments are tackling corruption and developing innovative solutions through open government approaches.
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- Corruption at the local level directly impacts service delivery and trust. While proximity to citizens enables accountability, it also increases risks like nepotism and clientelism, especially in under-resourced municipalities.
- A preventive, integrity-based approach is encouraged over reactive, case-focused strategies. This includes fostering a culture of public integrity, strengthening internal controls, and ensuring coordinated responsibilities across local government units.
- Context-specific, feasible strategies are more effective than idealized models. Municipalities need to consider their administrative size, economic drivers, and legal autonomy when designing anti-corruption plans.
- Transparency in public procurement and infrastructure projects is a priority. Open data standards like the Open Contracting Data Standard and the Open Contracting for Infrastructure Data Standard allow the publishing of accessible, usable procurement data.
- Success relies on collaborative, multi-stakeholder governance. Examples from Lisbon (Portugal), Bogotá (Colombia), West Nusa Tenggara (Indonesia), and Guadalajara (Mexico) show how public officials, civil society, journalists, and private sector actors can co-create solutions.
- Communications must be participatory, and not just awareness-raising. Campaigns should be targeted, two-way, and show real progress. Messaging that builds trust and reflects citizen priorities (e.g., service delivery quality) is more effective.
- Frederic Boehm, OECD
- Manuel Gonzalez, CoST Initiative
- Cecilia Moreira, Municipality of Lisbon
- Corina Rebegea, National Democratic Institute
- Karolis Granickas, Open Contracting
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