OGP Local Circle
on Inclusion

1.Design with older people, not for them — Senior Lab -Government of Aragón (David Abril)

“The most important thing is to guarantee horizontal participation, with everyone on an equal footing.”

• Aragón’s SeniorLAB, a citizen lab born from its second OGP action plan, received 30 ideas to improve older people’s lives. Five were co-developed by 52 volunteers of all ages over three days.
• Project promoters knew from the start that their ideas would evolve collectively. Combined with follow-up after the lab, this helped participants feel their contributions truly mattered.

2. Give older people their own spaces, with real influence — Municipality of Leova (Alexandru Bujorean)

“For most of them, it was the first time they could influence and decide which projects should be a priority.”

• Leova has run participatory budgeting since 2020. It now includes thematic rounds on active aging and reaches the villages that joined the municipality.
• A monthly Council of Elders brings older people’s experience into local decisions, including the experience of those returning after years working abroad.

3. Build on peer learning: it creates confidence, autonomy, and community — La Compañía (Cynthia Lares)

“They want to share their views and contribute. They want their voices heard, and they feel important when they’re given that space.”

• La Compañía, run in Aragón by Aragonesa de Servicios Telemáticos and LAAAB, brings together people over 65 to learn alongside one another. Many former participants now volunteer as mediators for their peers.
• Learning among equals makes it easier to ask questions, feel capable, and stay connected, which also helps combat unwanted loneliness.

4. Use digital skills as a gateway to participation, not an end in itself — Khmelnytskyi City Development Agency (Andrii Moshchanets)

“Success is not about how many people complete training courses. It’s about whether these skills help people become more informed, confident, and involved in shaping their community.”

• Khmelnytskyi found that older people have the least access to digital skills training. Its 2026–2027 action plan responds with a Digital Community Leaders program and more smart libraries in rural areas.
• The goal is not only to learn the tools, but to use them to access information, take part in consultations, and submit proposals.

5. Make older people the whole government’s responsibility — State Institute for Older Adults, Nuevo León (Dr. Myrna Elia García Barrera)

“We tend to think the family welfare agency is the only authority responsible for older people. It isn’t: the whole government has to serve them.”

• Through a new OGP Local commitment, Nuevo León will train public servants on longevity, older people’s rights, and ageism from October 2026 to July 2027.
• Changing how institutions see older people—from a vulnerable group to diverse citizens with rights—is the first step toward designing with them.

A shared message from the session

Across all experiences, one idea stood out: consulting older people is not enough, and what happens next matters. Participants stressed the importance of responding to every contribution and explaining why some proposals cannot move forward. This keeps people engaged and legitimizes the decisions taken. When participation is accessible, horizontal, and continuous, older people’s experience becomes a resource for the whole community.

• David Abril, Directorate General for Older People, Government of Aragón (SeniorLab)
• Alexandru Bujorean, Mayor of Leova
• Andrii Moshchanets, Khmelnytskyi City Development Agency
• Ana Serrano Soriano, Aragonesa de Servicios Telemáticos  – La Compañía
• Cynthia Lares, La Compañía
• Dr. Myrna Elia García Barrera, State Institute for Older Adults (IEPAM), Nuevo León
• Moderators: Susana Barriga and Mariana Cancela, Government of Aragón

• Government of Navarre “The key is not to consult more—it is to co-create better.”
  • The Government of Navarre involves people with intellectual disabilities from the start of policy design, moving beyond consultation.
  • Practical steps, including easy-to-read language, visual resources, flexible participation methods, and extended time for reflection, have been implemented and have created impact.

  Municipality of Peñalolén

  “Nothing about us without us has become ‘Everything with us and alongside us.'”

  • Peñalolén has implemented a community-based rehabilitation model in which users and families define priorities and evaluate services together.
  • The municipality conducts participatory diagnostics every two years to align public services with community-identified needs. Sustained participation as a driver of public trust and stronger institutional recognition.

  Municipality of Athens 

  “Accessibility must be built into public services from the beginning.”

  • Athens’ efforts to improve both physical and digital accessibility are made by making municipal services more inclusive.
  • Staff training and collaboration across all areas of local government planning with civil society organizations are key enablers of accessibility.

  Los que no se rinden / Plena Inclusión

  “We don’t only want to be heard—we want our opinions to lead to action.”

  • Participants shared that enabling accessible participation spaces, providing clear information, and government action on participants’ recommendations are essential elements of meaningful engagement.
  • Easy Read materials are a tool that benefits people with intellectual disabilities as well as the wider community.

  A shared message from the session

  Participants agreed that inclusive participation goes beyond adapting documents or holding consultations. It requires recognizing people with intellectual disabilities as partners in public decision-making and creating conditions for them to influence policies from the start. Governments, civil society, families, and self-advocacy groups all play a role in building accessible, continuous, and trust-based participation. Through co-creation, local governments can develop more inclusive policies and strengthen democratic governance.

• Jon Iriarte, Government of Navarra
• Lilian Elizabeth Garrido Vásquez, Municipality of Peñalolén
• Elena Mantzavinou, Municipality of Athens
• Los Que No Se Rinden, CSO Aragón

• Local governments shared how inclusive design, co-creation, and accessible data are shaping more equitable and responsive public systems.
• Inclusion was framed as a core governance principle, embedded in how services are planned, designed, and delivered, from caregiving to accessible communication.
• Peñalolén’s community-based dementia care model, co-created with caregivers and families, evolved from a local pilot to part of Chile’s national dementia strategy.
• Bogotá’s (Colombia) IncluData platform prioritizes usability, making georeferenced social data accessible in inclusive formats and tools that support better policy targeting.
• Aragón’s (Spain) Gobierno Fácil initiative co-designs easy-to-read documents with people with intellectual disabilities, reinforcing that accessibility must be built with communities, not for them.
• Peñalolén’s (Chile) community-based dementia care model, co-created through a participatory process with families, health teams, and local organizations, ensures services respond to local needs.

• Frida Quevedo, Gender and Inclusion Program Officer, OGP
• Trinidad Callejas y Francisco Labra, Centro Kintun, Peñalolén, Chile
• Susana Barriga, Head of Citizen Participation and Social Innovation Service at the Government of Aragon
• Laura Camila Lozano, Social Inclusion Secretariat of Bogotá, Colombia

• Participants emphasized the need for tailored communication strategies, such as easy-to-read formats, sign language, and clear visuals, to make participation more inclusive and accessible.
• Bogotá (Colombia) shared platforms like Includata and Chatico, designed with assistive technologies to improve access and engagement for vulnerable groups.
• In Peñalolén (Chile), interactive tools and educational games were used to promote proactive transparency, helping residents better understand and use public data, building trust.
• Aragón (Spain) highlighted how partnerships with disability organizations are shaping more inclusive public services, ensuring co-creation with communities often left out.
• The Basque Country (Spain) emphasized inclusion as a strategic design principle, reflected in Irekia’s bilingual platform and locally adapted participatory formats.

• Javier Urrea, Moderator & Host
• Cecilia Jimenez Oyarzun, Public Servant, Municipality of Peñalolén (Chile)
• Miren Martiarena Barkaiztegi, Representative, Government of the Basque Country (Euskadi), Spain
• Alexandra Rivera, Representative, Secretariat of Social Integration, Bogotá (Colombia)
• Carlos Olivan, Coordinator, Gobierno Fácil Initiative, Aragón (Spain)