Inception Report – Action plan – Hamburg, Germany, 2026 – 2029

Name of Evaluator

Michael Ziehl

Email

[email protected]

Member Name

Hamburg, Germany

Action PlanAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open government ... Title

Action plan – Hamburg, Germany, 2026 – 2029

1.1 Does a forum exist?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The forum consists of various sections and events: The Hamburg Sustainability Forum serves as the central civil society partner of the lead implementing government agency (Sustainability Department – Stabsstelle Nachhaltigkeit). Monthly meetings are held, and additional meetings with representatives from academia and the administration are convened as needed to discuss specific issues in greater detail. In March 2026, a “reflection workshop” was held to identify focus areas for strengthening the City of Hamburg’s contribution to achieving the SDGs, which was attended by members of the Hamburg Sustainability Forum and stakeholders from academia and the administration. Based on the results of this workshop, four focus areas were selected by the high-level steering committeeThe Steering Committee is OGP’s executive decision-making body. Its role is to develop, promote and safeguard OGP’s values, principles and interests; establish OGP’s core ideas, policies, and rules; a... of the administration to build on them using multi stakeholder focus workshops. Three focus workshops were held in the summer of 2026. A fourth focus workshop will take place in 2027 with experts and stakeholders relevant to the respective focus topics.

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

The document “Comprehensive overview of meetings held with stakeholders” was reviewed by the Monitoring Body.

1.2 Is the forum multi-stakeholder?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

For the “reflection workshop” four representatives of the Hamburg Sustainability Forum and five researchers were invited who were already engaged in a dialogue on sustainability issues with the lead implementing government agency. Furthermore, six administrative representatives of the lead agency were involved. Stakeholders from civil society, academia, and administration also participated in the focus workshops and in additional meetings held to explore specific aspects in more depth. The administration’s steering group is closely involved throughout the decision-making process of the action plan and is composed of high-ranking officials.

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

The documents were reviewed by the Monitoring Body:
-E-Mail Reflection Workshop
-Minutes of the Focus Group on Climate-Related Occupations
-Minutes of the Focus Group on Impact-Oriented Budgeting and Sustainability
-Minutes of the Focus Group on YouthRecognizing that investing in youth means investing in a better future, OGP participating governments are creating meaningful opportunities for youth to participate in government processes. Technical ... More Participation

1.3 Does the forum hold at least one meeting with civil society and non-governmental stakeholders during the co-creation of the action plan?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

Several meetings took place that influenced the development of the Action Plan before the implementation started. Representatives from the Hamburg Sustainability Forum, administration, and academia (especially the University of Hamburg) participated in these meetings.

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

Hamburg Action Plan

1.4 Has the action plan been endorsed by the stakeholders of the forum or steering committee/group?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The action plan has been endorsed by Sibylle Duncker, Executive Director of the civic Hamburg Sustainability Forum and of the high-level steering committee of the administration.

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

Action Plan Press Release 

2.1 Does the government maintain a Local OGP website or webpage on a government website where information on the OGP Local process (co-creation and implementation) is proactively published?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The city’s official website (www.hamburg.de) features an article and a press release about the Action Plan and the commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... to OGP Local, which also includes the latest links to the Action Plan on OGP’s website. The article is regularly updated and easy to find via search engines. The City of Hamburg’s Digital SDG Dashboard, which is relevant to the topic of Hamburg’s Action Plan, can also be found there.

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

Article

Hamburg’s Digital SDG Dashboard 

2.2 Did the government provide information to stakeholders in advance to facilitate informed and prepared participation in the co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive...?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

Because the schedule for organizing the meetings was tight in order to submit the action plan on time, it was not always possible to provide participants with as much information in advance as would have been advisable. However, this was done very carefully and comprehensively ahead of the reflection workshop, which is central to the overall process. It should also be noted that the stakeholders are experts with substantial knowledge of sustainability issues even without prior briefing. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement in this regard going forward.

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

The documents were reviewed by the Monitoring Body:
-Reflection Workshop Invitations
-Policy Papers

2.3 Did the government ensure that any interested member of the public could make inputs into the action plan and observe or have access to decision-making documentation?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The Hamburg Sustainability Forum and the researchers at the University of Hamburg essentially acted as representatives of the public. Individuals and organizations that are not affiliated with either the Hamburg Sustainability Forum or the University of Hamburg had no opportunity to influence the process in advance. Nevertheless, the administration’s approach makes sense, as the representatives provided by these two organizations have been well chosen: they are qualified to critically guide the City of Hamburg about sustainability challenges, represent a wide range of civil society and can contribute to a rigorous and productive co-creation process.

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

The documents were reviewed by the Monitoring Body.

2.4 Did the government proactively report back or provide written feedback to stakeholders on how their contributions were considered during the creation of the action plan?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

Written feedback was not provided after every meeting, but it was provided following important meetings such as the reflection workshop, which is of central importance to the implementation of the action plan, as its results formed the basis on which the administration’s steering committee decided which thematic working groups should be established. This decision was thoroughly justified, and written feedback on this selection was in turn provided to the participants. However, while the selection process was well documented and subsequently communicated to participants, stakeholders had limited opportunity to comment on the decision beforehand or to influence the choice of thematic focus tables. Regarding the overall process, feedback is provided to the Hamburg Sustainability Forum regularly, and efforts are made to provide it to other stakeholders as well.

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

The document was reviewed by the Monitoring Body.
-E-Mail Reflection Workshop

2.5 Was there an iterative dialogue and shared ownership between government and non-governmental stakeholders during the decision making process, including setting the agenda?

No

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The various meetings with the stakeholders built on one another and facilitated an ongoing dialogue over an extended period of time regarding the development of the action plan. However, the decisions regarding the content and agenda of the action plan were made by the administration’s steering committee, as the administration is responsible for implementing the sustainability strategy (the lead implementing government agency is Hamburg’s Sustainability Department). In this respect, one cannot speak of “shared ownership.”

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

Hamburg’s OGP Local Commitment

2.6 Would you consider the forum to be inclusive and diverse?

Somewhat

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

In terms of the organizations represented and the genderOGP participating governments are bringing gender perspectives to popular policy areas, ensuring diversity in participatory processes, and specifically targeting gender gaps in policies to address gov... More distribution, the composition is diverse. However, most participants are well-educated, white, and middle-aged or older. This is due, in part, to the membership base of the participating organizations. The perspectives of marginalized groups are reflected only indirectly through the Hamburg Sustainability Forum, which comprises 34 member organizations ranging from sports clubs to sustainability initiatives. Consequently, marginalized groups, people of color, or young people were scarcely represented directly. There is room for improvement in this area.

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

Hamburg Sustainability Week

1 Commitment :

The Sustainability Department (BUKEA) coordinates and plans the process for the “development of a city-wide sustainability strategy for Hamburg, aligned with the Sustainable Development GoalsOGP countries are experimenting with open government innovations to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 16+ which includes peaceful, just and inclusive societies... (SDGs)”, as well as its implementation.

1.1 Is the commitment verifiable?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The commitment lists five dated milestones (2026–2029) with identifiable activities. However, most milestones describe process steps rather than measurable deliverables without numeric targets (e.g., number of workshops, districts, or SDGs covered), and Phase 5 (“Implementation”) is explicitly still in planning with no defined scope. The strategy’s adoption and the sustainability report/SDG Dashboard offer accountability mechanisms, but intermediate outputs lack quantifiable indicators. Nevertheless, the commitment is clearly described, understandable, and focused on a distinct objective. Furthermore, numerical specifications were and will be established as the process continues (e. g. 4 focus groups with stakeholders).

Evidence: Hamburg’s OGP Local Commitment

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 relevance is well-founded: Citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to more ... More is clearly documented—stakeholder groups (civil society, academia) shape strategy development through workshops and a “comply and explain” approach (it is unclear whether the results will be shared only internally or made public). 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 or r... More is also robust: a biennial sustainability report and a public SDG dashboard with 107 indicators track progress. However, the areas of “Access to Information” and “Technology/Innovation for TransparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the public,... More” overlap, as both involve the use of AI to manage information for administrative decision-making processes. Importantly, both appear to focus more on the internal administrative management of existing sustainability measures than on the implementation of new measures—such as using AI to systematically identify and address gaps in municipal sustainability measures.

Evidence: Hamburg’s OGP Local Commitment

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:

The commitment functions as a new policy and pracitice as well as a continuation of ongoing practice in line with existing policies: The development of the sustainability strategy builds on the City of Hamburg’s existing sustainability measures; however, this is the first time such a strategy has been developed, subsequently adopted, and used as the basis for the administration’s strategic actions in the area of sustainability.

Evidence: Hamburg’s OGP Local Commitment

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 aims to develop a citywide sustainability strategy as an “official parliamentary document” (Phase 4), which would give it formal, binding status for all Hamburg authorities, Senate departments, and districts – a genuine institutional advancement, not just a one-time report. The involvement of the steering committee and the lead agencies for each SDG, along with recurring biennial reporting and the SDG dashboard, support lasting changes in practice beyond the commitment period (2026–2029). However, it remains to be seen whether implementation (Phase 5) will lead to a change and/or expansion of administrative practices or whether it will continue to take place primarily within the framework of measures already planned.

Evidence: Hamburg’s OGP Local Commitment

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

Several adjustments could strengthen implementation: First, future meetings with stakeholders should be announced earlier and accompanied by informational materials – even if participants are already well-informed—to improve the quality of preparation. Second, diversity among participants should be actively promoted – in particular, targeted measures to involve marginalized groups and younger residents would strengthen legitimacy.
Third, strengthen co-creation: ensure academia and civil society can actively shape the strategy rather than approve a near-final product, with clear feedback loops showing how their contributions were incorporated. Fourth, sharpen the Access to information/technology value by using AI not only to manage existing measures internally but to actively identify and address gaps in sustainability efforts. Fifth, clarify whether the workshop results will be made public, reinforcing public transparency and debate. Finally, define realistic indicators for remaining milestones (e.g., number of workshops, districts, implemented measures) rather than process descriptions alone, and specify whether Phase 5 will be actively targeting binding, institutionalized practice change.