Inception Report – Action plan – Madrid, Spain, 2024 – 2027

1 Commitment :

Development and application of a clear communication methodology in municipal taxation

1.1 Is the commitment verifiable?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

It is highly verifiable, as it is framed around concrete actions with clear timelines and clearly identifiable outputs. In this case, verifiabilityOGP commitments should be clear and specific enough to enable measurement of their progress. Verifiable commitments include specific activities that can be monitored. Following an action plan’s subm... is ensured through three main milestones, each with defined start and end dates and a specific deliverable:

• Development of the Madrid City Council Clear Communication Methodology (January 1, 2024–December 31, 2024), culminating in an official methodology document.
• Definition of the guidelines for awarding the Clear Communication Seal (June 1, 2024–December 31, 2024), resulting in a criteria and guidance document.
• Implementation of the Clear Communication project in the municipal tax area (June 1, 2024–December 31, 2026), which must generate tangible evidence of application—such as the revision of tax templates and documents and the development of a specialist-adapted glossary in coordination with the Directorate-General for Transparency and Quality.

It should also be noted that some activities began before the formal approval of the Fourth Open Government Plan, although they have been explicitly incorporated into the commitment’s design.
Additionally, the Clear Communication Seal introduces objective, measurable criteria that will make it possible to assess compliance and recognize the efforts of municipal units. The Fourth Open Government Plan will also be subject to an external and independent evaluation, which will examine, among other aspects, the quality of the commitment design and its verifiability.

Taken together, the combination of time-bound milestones, defined deliverables, and a formal evaluation framework makes Commitment 1 clearly verifiable and supports effective monitoring by both the oversight mechanism and the public.

1.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevanceAccording to the OGP Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should include a clear open government lens. Specifically, they should advance at least one of the OGP values: transparency, citizen partic... to OGP values?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The commitment is strongly aligned with OGP’s values, particularly citizen participation and inclusionOGP participating governments are working to create governments that truly serve all people. Commitments in this area may address persons with disabilities, women and girls, lesbian, gay, bisexual, tr... More, transparency, and accountability. It is grounded in the premise that the “right to understand” is essential for people to participate in decision-making and effectively exercise their rights, and it is designed as a practical tool to ensure that anyone can engage with Madrid City Council without barriers.

The commitment acknowledges that overly technical administrative language can deepen inequalities—especially for vulnerable groups and for people who face greater difficulties accessing information—and therefore places specific emphasis on older people and people with disabilities, in line with OGP Challenge 7 (Gender and Inclusion).

In terms of transparency and access to information, the commitment seeks to make municipal communication “easy, direct, transparent, simple, and effective,” with the explicit aim of widening access to information, reducing dissatisfaction, and addressing perceptions of limited transparency. This connects directly with OGP Challenge 1 (Access to Information) and with the plan’s Quality and Evaluation pillar, which promotes clear communication as a prerequisite for information to be understandable and inclusive.

Lastly, the commitment supports accountability by improving government–citizen interaction, strengthening trust among those affected, and reinforcing the institution’s credibility. Its focus on municipal taxation gives it particular relevance for public accountabilityAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, public accountability occurs when ”rules, regulations, and mechanisms in place call upon government actors to justify their actions, act upon criticisms ... More, given the direct impact of this area on residents.

Overall, “Clear Communication, Commitment to the Right to Understand” is firmly aligned with OGP values and with OGP Strategic Goal 2: embedding open government as a core element of the priorities and day-to-day functions of the administration.

1.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:

a new regulationGovernment reformers are developing regulations that enshrine values of transparency, participation, and accountability in government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or reforming ..., policy, practice or requirement.

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

Although it builds on earlier work by the City Council—supported by an established track record in clear communication (the 2017 Practical Guide, training and dissemination activities, the 2020 situation analysis study, and the use of the Guide to simplify procedures such as access to public information)—the IV Plan commitment represents a clear step change beyond the status quo.
It introduces new, formal and binding components that were not previously in place: a dedicated methodology to implement clear communication across municipal units; a Clear Communication Seal based on objective, measurable criteria that will operate as an internal certification mechanism; and a strategic pilot in the municipal tax area targeting older people and people with disabilities. Together, these measures embed clear communication as an internal compliance policy and create new expectations for administrative units. Therefore, while there is continuity with past initiatives, the commitment clearly falls under Option 2.

1.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:

will result in a change of the rules, practices or policies that govern a policy area, public sector and/or relationship between citizens and is binding or institutionalized across government or specific institution(s).

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The commitment goes beyond isolated actions and seeks to institutionalize a new way of relating between the administration and citizens. While the City Council already had a Practical Guide to Clear Communication (2017) and a situational analysis (2020), this commitment represents the next phase in progressively and fully rolling out the initiative across the entire organization.

To this end, it includes the development of a dedicated implementation methodology and the establishment of guidelines for obtaining a Clear Communication Seal, incorporating objective and measurable criteria. By introducing this seal, clarity becomes a verifiable requirement for municipal units, leading to binding and institutionalized changes in internal government practices.
At the same time, the initiative aims to reshape the citizen–administration relationship by placing the right to understand at its core, enabling individuals to better exercise their rights and meet their obligations. The focus on municipal taxation, together with the prioritization of older people and people with disabilities, strengthens this impact by targeting a critical service area where a lack of clarity can have particularly direct and tangible consequences.
Overall, this is not merely a good practice or a stand-alone pilot, but a reform-oriented initiative designed to modify rules, practices, and policies through a methodology and a certification system that can be scaled across the entire administration, beginning with the tax domain.

1.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?

Regarding areas for improvement, the main risk is that the commitment could become overly centred on developing internal tools (the methodology and certification) without making sufficiently clear how these will translate into changes that are visible and meaningful to the public. To address this, we propose defining—already at the design stage—a minimum set of priority external outputs that make the application of the clear communication standard tangible.
In addition, the commitment would benefit from more precise indicators of effective understanding that go beyond the mere existence of the seal. These indicators should help measure whether the public actually understands administrative information better and whether this reduces reliance on intermediaries when interacting with the City Council.

2 Commitment :

Create a space for participation on Decide Madrid for young people (aged 14 to 18 years old) as an attractive, dynamic and interactive platform with supervision and specialised support.

2.1 Is the commitment verifiable?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

It establishes clear objectives and breaks them down into concrete, time-bound milestones, with identifiable outputs that allow both the monitoring mechanism and the public to assess the level of compliance. Implementation is structured around a set of verifiable activities:

• collaborative workshops to co-design portal content between October 2024 and June 2025 (evidenced by the sessions held and the proposal documents agreed with civil society);
• technical development of the platform between October 2024 and September 2025 (verifiable through the launch of the website and the functioning of the registration system, including registry-based verification and individual/collective user profiles);
• production of audiovisual materials, pieces, and reels from October 2024 to May 2027 (demonstrated by the content published and used in dissemination campaigns);
• delivery of activities by the content moderation and design service between November 2025 and May 2027 (evidenced by the contracting of the service and the corresponding activity reports);
• and, finally, the effective launch of the platform and roll-out of activities from the first half of 2026 until May 2027 (supported by the official launch of the space and reports on its use and programming).

Verifiability is further reinforced by the monitoring and evaluation framework of the Fourth Open Government Plan. The Directorate-General for Citizen Participation is required to produce regular progress reports detailing the level of advancement for each milestone, and an external and independent evaluation is foreseen both at the design stage—where the verifiability of commitments is specifically assessed—and at the end of the plan in 2027. The availability of identified resources (staff from the Directorate-General, technical implementation by IAM, and the planned contracting of a moderation service) strengthens feasibility and, consequently, the ability to generate the expected evidence. Taken together, these elements ensure that Commitment 2 clearly meets OGP’s verifiability criteria.

2.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevance to OGP values?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The language and activities of Commitment 2 clearly justify its relevance to OGP’s values, especially those related to Citizen Participation and Inclusion. The commitment explicitly aims to broaden the participation of an underrepresented group (adolescents aged 14 to 18), creating a specific space within Decide Madrid adapted to their language, interests, and needs, and designing its content through collaborative workshops with the young people themselves.

In addition, the commitment incorporates feedback and support mechanisms—such as specialized moderation and responses to proposals—which help strengthen accountability. By fostering a safe digital environment for youth participation, it also aligns with OGP principles related to integrity and the protection of civic space.

2.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:

a new regulation, policy, practice or requirement.

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

Although it builds on work initiated under the Third Plan—where the idea of a digital space for young people emerged through earlier pilots—the initiative is now being scaled up and institutionalized through the creation of a dedicated space within Decide Madrid for teenagers aged 14 to 18, as recommended by the evaluation of the Third Plan. This marks a clear shift from prototypes and one-off interventions to a consolidated platform with new formal requirements, including the contracting of a specialized moderation and support service in response to the complexity of youth participation.
In addition, the commitment is being operationalized through a defined set of implementation milestones—collaborative workshops to co-design content, platform development, and the official launch—representing a substantial change in the City Council’s structured offer for youth participation.

2.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:

will result in a change of the rules, practices or policies that govern a policy area, public sector and/or relationship between citizens and is binding or institutionalized across government or specific institution(s).

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

This commitment qualifies as a binding and institutionalized change because it scales up and consolidates a new participation practice aimed at a group that has historically been underrepresented—young people aged 14 to 18.
It builds on prototyping and pilot initiatives developed under the Third Open Government Plan, which the evaluator explicitly recommended expanding. The commitment therefore moves beyond a temporary or experimental approach by establishing and launching a dedicated space within the Decide Madrid platform—an enduring, formal step rather than a one-off intervention.
The new platform is expected to be engaging, dynamic, and interactive and, crucially, will incorporate specialized moderation and support. This moderated model constitutes a new institutional practice designed to guide adolescents and mitigate the risks associated with online participation in this age group.

Ultimately, the commitment aims to broaden participation by developing targeted programming for children and young people and by safeguarding their right to digital participationMany governments are creating online mechanisms for citizens to petition, call for action, and participate in making decisions on issues they care about.  Technical specifications: Refers to public p... More. It strengthens the relationship with young residents by adapting the space to their language, needs, and interests, ensuring they perceive an active counterpart within the administration and that their proposals receive meaningful responses.

2.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?

For this commitment to reach its full potential, it is essential to clearly define how participation connects to decision-making. The final design should include explicit mechanisms for institutional responses to proposals submitted through the platform, with clearly specified deadlines, formats, and responsible units, so the channel is not perceived as merely consultative.
Similarly, the platform’s governance needs greater clarity. It should define who sets participation topics, who moderates discussions, and how content is selected and prioritized, in order to avoid ambiguity and ensure legitimacy. From the outset, it is also advisable to strengthen the co-creation of language and content with youth associations and existing participation bodies, so the platform reflects the needs, expectations, and communication codes of its target audience.
Finally, it is recommended to plan a limited set of evaluable pilot activities in the initial phase—before full roll-out—to enable adjustments to the format, dynamics, and functionalities based on the evidence collected.

3 Commitment :

THIVIC, Madrid City Council’s Social Innovation Laboratory

3.1 Is the commitment verifiable?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The commitment is verifiable because its objectives and actions have concrete milestones and defined completionImplementers must follow through on their commitments for them to achieve impact. For each commitment, OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) evaluates the degree to which the activities outlin... More dates for the period 2024-2027, and there is a specific budget for its implementation.
The expected results and products are measurable and include the creation and development of specific activities, demonstrating that their implementation can be monitored.
Furthermore, the agreement includes a planned annual budget of €48,548 for the social innovation space service contract. The plan stipulates that the fulfillment of these activities will be evaluated through monitoring reports and external assessments.

3.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevance to OGP values?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The THIVIC commitment is clearly relevant to OGP’s open government values, particularly participation, civic space, and innovation in public management. Its objective is to create regular forums where experts, residents, and City Council staff can meet to co-create agile solutions to public problems. This strengthens the quality of participation and enables citizens to have a more direct influence on decisions.
In addition, THIVIC helps protect and expand civic space by serving as a stable convening point for social actors and by promoting inclusive participation. At the same time, it supports innovation and internal reform by fostering intrapreneurship and creativity among public employees, and by embedding social innovation and open government approaches into municipal strategies and programmes. Finally, by scaling up pilot experiences from the Third Plan, the commitment reinforces its reform-oriented nature and its transformative potential within the City Council.

3.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:

a new regulation, policy, practice or requirement.

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

Although it originated as a pilot project under the Third Open Government Plan, the current commitment involves transforming THIVIC into a permanent function of the City Council, with a social innovation lab operating on a regular basis. This entails the design and implementation of regular activities, as well as the allocation of specific resources, including a service contract with an annual budget (€48,548).
In this way, THIVIC evolves from a one-off initiative into a permanent hub for social agents and municipal staff, aimed at fostering intrapreneurship and public innovation. This implies a change in the City Council’s usual practices and an opportunity to institutionalize open government in more areas of the organization, which clearly aligns with Option 2.

3.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:

will result in a change of the rules, practices or policies that govern a policy area, public sector and/or relationship between citizens and is binding or institutionalized across government or specific institution(s).

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The THIVIC commitment has the potential to generate a binding and institutionalized change because it represents the scaling up of a pilot initiative and its stable implementation as the social innovation laboratory of the Madrid City Council.
This commitment is not an isolated change, but seeks to institutionalize a new practice of co-creation and participation.

3.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?

As areas for improvement, and to enable the lab to reach its full potential, its governance arrangements should be defined more precisely. This includes clarifying the roles of the different stakeholders, the criteria for selecting and prioritizing challenges, the channels for submitting proposals, the composition of working groups, and how decisions are documented.

A second key improvement is to make explicit how an institutional response to co-created solutions will be ensured—specifying who takes final decisions, within what timeframes, and with what level of political and organisational commitment—so that outputs do not remain at the level of recommendations.

Finally, it would be advisable to establish a simple indicator framework to track the number and type of challenges addressed, the solutions piloted or implemented, and any resulting regulatory, procedural, or service-delivery changes. This should be complemented by a transparency mechanism to publish results and follow-up actions.

4 Commitment :

Addressing unwanted loneliness among young people

4.1 Is the commitment verifiable?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The commitment includes specific activities and defined start and end dates for its implementation, which allows monitoring of its progress.
Verifiable milestones include:

1. The design and development of the prevention project (October 2024 to February 2025).
2. Managing the contracting of a specialized service to expand the team of professionals (February 2025 to October 2025).
3. The development of programmed activities (awareness, support, meeting, leisure) between November 2025 and May 2027.

Furthermore, the commitment establishes the obligation to report on the project’s results every six months.

4.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevance to OGP values?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

This commitment is clearly relevant to OGP’s values because it focuses on a priority group identified during the Fourth Plan consultation—children and young people—and strengthens participation and inclusion by promoting the involvement of youth and networks of youth and community partners in safe spaces.

It also contributes to protecting and expanding civic space and to co-creation through community-based actions, such as health asset mapping developed through horizontal community participation. In addition, the commitment includes an explicit accountability element by requiring semi-annual reporting on project results.

4.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:

a new regulation, policy, practice or requirement.

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

This commitment represents a new approach, as it scales up a previous pilot program (Madrid Salud, Commitment 2 of the Third Plan) to a stable and widespread initiative across the city. It entails expanding institutional resources by incorporating new specialized professionals to develop strategies for detection, early intervention, and youth support networks in all districts of Madrid.

4.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:

will result in a change of the rules, practices or policies that govern a policy area, public sector and/or relationship between citizens and is binding or institutionalized across government or specific institution(s).

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

This commitment qualifies as a binding and institutionalized change because it scales up a pilot initiative (Madrid Salud, Commitment 2 under the Third Plan) into a stable, citywide line of action. Implementation is delivered through Madrid Salud’s established, territorially based network of 18 Municipal Community Health Centres (CMSc), ensuring coverage across all districts.
Institutionalization is further reinforced through expanded capacity, including the incorporation of new professionals—among them specialists focused on adolescents and young adults (professional ambassadors). The commitment aims to develop early detection and intervention strategies and to consolidate a dedicated network of youth collaborators, embedding inclusion and participation more deeply within municipal public health and social policy.

4.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?

As areas for improvement, and to strengthen the open government approach, it would be beneficial to formalize the direct participation of young people in programme governance—for example, through youth advisory groups that co-design actions and take part in their evaluation.

In addition, the commitment should define specific outcome and impact indicators related to unwanted loneliness—such as perceived isolation, the quality and reach of support networks, and community resilience—so that assessment goes beyond activity-level indicators. It would also be advisable to strengthen formal coordination with mental health services, social services, and the educationAccountability within the public education system is key to improving outcomes and attainment, and accountability is nearly impossible without transparent policies and opportunities for participation ... system to ensure comprehensive referrals and responses.

Finally, accountability would be enhanced by planning the periodic public release of results and lessons learned—alongside internal reporting—using formats that are accessible and understandable for the general public.