Local Roundup | January 2026

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

Hear from Local Leaders

Dominic Fritz, Mayor of Timișoara (Romania)
“I am convinced that rebuilding trust and democracy begins with the quality of the public services that governments provide to their citizens every day. This is why openness, transparency, and citizen participation are at the core of our reforms here in Timișoara.”

Featured Story

In Vanadzor (Armenia), the municipality, CSOs, and residents came together to assess how open government reforms are working in practice. The collaborative process not only helped assess results, but is helping to create future reforms that better reflect community insights. More here.

From Promises to Action

NEW ACTION PLANS, NEW AMBITIONS

Curridabat’s (Costa Rica) second action plan seeks to expand municipal open data, update participation regulations to engage more citizens and include the private sector, improve access to municipal services, and co-create solutions to improve local mobility within Curridabat. More here.

CHANGE IN MOTION

Mendoza (Argentina) earned the Gold Certification from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ What Works Cities program, an international recognition for cities that use data and evidence to improve people’s lives. The accolade highlights Mendoza’s integrated data policy, evidence-based decision-making, and a collaborative data culture across the city government. More here.

Kaduna State (Nigeria) jumped from 16th to 3rd in the 2025 Subnational Climate Governance Ranking, using the ranking’s framework to guide governance reforms and strengthen open, accountable climate action through civic forums, consultations, and youth innovation hubs. More here.

Austin (USA) co-hosted its first “Community in the Loop” conversation as part of its OGP commitment to develop an AI accountability framework that creates space for residents to discuss transparent, ethical, and community-beneficial uses of AI. More here.

Quezon City (Philippines) is launching an Open Infra Dashboard to boost transparency in public infrastructure, letting residents track projects in real time, in turn strengthening citizen oversight and accountability. More here. 

Madrid (Spain) is advancing its youth engagement initiative in underserved neighborhoods by moving from expert consultations to direct dialogue with young people, gathering first-hand input on education, employment, safety, and mental health to inform future solutions. More here.

Kakamega County (Kenya) launched a toll-free call centre to boost public feedback and more responsive services, alongside a new Citizens’ Voices OGP Report that documents reforms and civic inputs. More here and here and here.

Navarra (Spain) advanced two Open Gov Challenge commitments: it scaled local climate action across 226 municipalities with contributions from civic and private actors, while the Climate Citizens’ Assembly submitted 250 proposals to parliament. More here and here.

State of Goiás (Brazil) celebrated the end of the 6th edition of Students with Attitude, bringing together more than 2,000 students, educators, and school leaders to recognize youth-led projects that are strengthening integrity and participation in schools across the state. More here.

Glasgow (UK) is inviting residents, organizations, and institutions to help revise the Glasgow Climate Plan through a public consultation, online sessions, drop-ins, and a survey. More here.

Osasco (Brazil) began co-creating its 2nd OGP action plan, with broader territorial participation and the incorporation of new priorities in open data, digital governance, and climate. More here and here.

Municipalities in Greece, including Athens, are now informing the public Observatory about their Local Ombudsmen, increasing visibility into how these institutions handle complaints of maladministration, corruption, and abuse of power. More here.

Local Lessons

EXCHANGING IDEAS

🌐 Kaduna (Nigeria) hosted the inaugural OGP Northwest Regional Meeting, bringing together government officials, civil society, and development partners to share strategies for strengthening open government and civic participation across Nigeria’s Northwest. More here and here.

🌐 Quezon City (Philippines) hosted a 3-day accountability conference that gathered scholars, policymakers, civil society, and journalists to analyze corruption and explore solutions. The city also showcased reforms, including the Internal Audit Service and digital E-services. More here.

🌐 In the Philippines, national authorities recognized pioneering local governments joining the Localization Program. The inaugural cohort of provinces, cities, and municipalities is committed to co-creating local open government action plans with civil society and embarking on capacity-building workshops to translate commitments into concrete results. More here.

TAKEAWAYS

📘 Learn how Madrid (Spain) co-created its fourth action plan with a multi-stakeholder steering group and citizen consultations through the Decide Madrid platform, ensuring diverse voices shaped priorities and strengthened participation and transparency mechanisms. More here.

📘 Learn how Pristina (Kosovo) built a multi-stakeholder foundation for open government by creating a Municipal Transparency Forum and initiating work on e-governance, participatory budgeting, and service access to embed citizen engagement and transparency in the new OGP cycle. More here.

📘 Learn how Lisbon (Portugal) improved transparency and citizen engagement by expanding access to documents, reducing complaints through better information, and co-creating services with citizens and CSOs using surveys, workshops, and World Café methods. More here.

📘 Learn how Timișoara (Romania) grew participation from 6,700 to nearly 12,000 residents through participatory budgeting, while digital platforms for consultations and complaints cut municipal response times by 30%. Training for civil servants strengthened the city’s capacity to manage participation and citizen feedback, and new open data efforts are laying the groundwork for greater transparency. More here.

📘 Learn how Montevideo (Uruguay) engaged citizens and municipal teams to track progress on cultural mapping and city cleanliness initiatives. More here.

RESOURCES

📘 Explore how Austin (USA) is strengthening its institutional systems by connecting budgeting, strategy, performance management, and innovation so data and foresight routinely inform decision-making and improve public value, as featured by the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation. Also, learn how cities can move from standalone projects to sustainable capabilities. More here and here.

📘 Watch how Plateau’s Climate Assembly brings citizens and government together on local climate challenges with People Powered support. The video highlights three strategies—embedding participation in government processes, fostering inclusivity, and empowering community action. More here.

📘 Discover how local governments are using open data to fight corruption, from publishing all city payments in Timișoara, to mapping over 1,400 public projects in Kaduna State, and building a zero-budget open data portal in Peñalolén. More here.

📘 Watch highlights from Madrid’s XXV Expert Workshop, where The Participatory Group convened practitioners and academics to explore innovations in participatory governance, including fiscal incentives for urban sustainability and collaborative decision-making. More here.

Get Involved

OPPORTUNITIES

🌐 UNDP’s SDG Local Action is hosting the First Venice Winter School (October 2026) and is inviting local and regional governments to submit a case study on an implemented service improvement to exchange lessons with peers. Four cities will be selected to present, with travel and accommodation supported by UNDP. Submit by February 28. More here.

🌐 Apply for the 20th OIDP Award for Best Practice in Citizen Participation and gain global recognition for initiatives advancing participatory democracy, democratic innovation, and open government. Local and regional governments can submit initiatives active in 2025 across five categories. Become an OIDP member by 5 March 2026 and apply by 15 March 2026. More here.

🌐 Apply for People Powered’s Rising Stars Mentorship Program! This online mentorship program connects democracy practitioners with expert guidance to launch and improve participatory programs. Submit by February 27. More here.

Open Gov Challenge

The recent International Day of Clean Energy highlighted the importance of transparent and inclusive climate transitions. In Tangier–Tetouan–Al Hoceima (Morocco), an Open Gov Challenge commitment is doing just that by involving civil society in shaping a regional climate strategy on renewable energy, water conservation, and support for farmers.