Local Roundup | February 2026

Here’s our monthly roundup of updates from the OGP Local community for February 2026. Check out previous Roundups here!

Hear from Local Leaders

Jorge Macri, Mayor of Buenos Aires (Argentina)
“Local governments have a key advantage: closeness. (…) The future of open governments depends on us.”

Featured Story

OGP Local members, supported by People Powered’s Climate Democracy Accelerator, are demonstrating how collaborative, community-centered approaches can close the gap between climate ambition and implementation, leading to more inclusive, legitimate, and durable climate action. More here.

From Promises to Action

NEW ACTION PLANS, NEW AMBITIONS

Zriba’s (Tunisia) first action plan aims to increase inclusive citizen access to municipal records through a digital archive and the creation of a Digital Services Centre that will offer online tools, training, and support. More here.

Khmelnytskyi’s (Ukraine) second action plan includes launching an interactive map displaying public space accessibility, co-designing a participatory waste management system, opening SDG implementation data for public monitoring, and strengthening residents’ digital skills for inclusive access to e-services and civic participation. More here.

The Basque Country’s (Spain) third action plan seeks to improve guidance for residents to contribute to lawmaking, introduce a “Youth Test” to assess how new laws affect young people, embed participatory policy evaluation in public management, and establish a Childhood Forum and Child & Adolescent Barometer using secure digital participation tools. More here.

Córdoba City’s (Argentina) second action plan aims to launch a unified digital app that allows residents to report and track public issues, and to strengthen neighborhood councils by giving them the tools and resources to set and plan local priorities in line with the SDGs. More here.

CHANGE IN MOTION

Dar Chaabane Fihri (Tunisia) launched a participatory process with national authorities, experts, and civil society to redesign a central public square that reduces flood risks. More here.

Kaduna (Nigeria) launched its Citizens’ Participatory Audit Framework to embed citizens and civil society in public audits and enhance oversight of government spending and project implementation. More here and here.

Buenos Aires (Argentina) convened cross-sector experts to advance personal data protection and hosted a multi-stakeholder forum on transparency, standards, and accountability regarding the use of algorithms and artificial intelligence in the public sector. More here and here.

In Yogyakarta (Indonesia) the Regional Communication and Informatics Office strengthens culturally grounded public communication with a value-based strategy rooted in local cultural norms to shape how public information is shared through respectful, empathetic, and consistent messaging that builds trust and engages residents in dialogue and transparency. More here.

Jalisco (Mexico) incorporated input from over 25,000 young people into its state planning process, integrating their priorities on: safety, well-being, and opportunities. More here.

Scotland (United Kingdom) OGP Civil Society Network is using research and community dialogues to identify indicators of public trust in government and inform its next action plan. More here and here.

Santiago (Chile) has opened its draft Open Government Action Plan for public consultation, inviting citizens and stakeholders to review the proposal and submit feedback through its official online platform. More here.

Madrid (Spain) has opened its 2028–2029 Participatory Budget call, allocating €50 million for citizen proposals and inviting residents aged 16 and over to submit ideas through Decide Madrid. More here.

Local Lessons

EXCHANGING IDEAS

🌐 Zviahel and Orzhytsia (Ukraine) exchanged updates on their joint open government commitments during their latest consortium coordination session, including expanded school participatory budgeting and ongoing work on youth engagement, transparency, and veterans’ integration. More here.

🌐 Moldovan local leaders reaffirmed their commitment to civic participation at a roundtable in Sireţi, discussing consultation mechanisms, youth and women’s engagement, and the role of participation in strengthening inclusive local democracy and countering disinformation. More here.

🌐 Local governments across the Philippines discussed how to institutionalise transparency, accountability, and citizen participation through OGP and the Seal of Good Local Governance, a national standards program that assesses and recognises strong local governance practices. More here.

TAKEAWAYS

📘 Discover how Semarang (Indonesia) integrated its OGP process with the city’s formal development planning forum, while engaging 30 community groups through online and in-person consultations to shape its action plan More here.

📘 Discover how Dar Chaâbane El Fehri (Tunisia) anchored its action plan since inception, through citizen input. The process involved combining public meetings, digital consultations, livestreaming council sessions, and publishing meeting minutes to ensure transparency and traceability in decision-making. More here.

RESOURCES

📘 Skim through People Powered reviews of the latest research on citizens’ assemblies, examining their effects on public trust, policy decisions, civic engagement, and democratic innovation. More here.

📘 Access Accountability Lab’s (Mexico) step-by-step guide to Participatory Budgeting, drawing on mechanism analysis, diagnosis of key shortcomings, and community advocacy, offering practical insights to who can participate and how. More here.

Get Involved

OPPORTUNITIES

🌐 Submit your public-sector innovation to the OECD Call for Government Innovations 2026 by 31 March 2026. Share how your work simplifies government, strengthens citizen participation, and improves impact measurement. Selected cases will be showcased in Paris and featured in OECD publications. More here.

🌐 Funding opportunities, recently highlighted by People Powered, that are relevant for reformers advancing participation, transparency, and accountable governance include:

• ScaleDem funding to help scale participatory and democratic innovations, with financial support and peer learning components. More here.
• The National Endowment for Democracy support for global initiatives advancing democratic governance and civic participation. More here.
• European Endowment for Democracy targeted assistance for local democracy actors in parts of Eastern Europe, MENA, the Western Balkans, and Turkey. More here.

Open Gov Challenge

As Open Data Day approaches, explore how local governments are publishing payments, contracts, and public project data in simple, usable ways, so citizens can follow the money and hold officials accountable. Learn how these low-cost approaches can be adapted in your own context to support stronger anti-corruption reforms. More here.