Photo Copyright: OGP
ALDA’s Secretary General, Antonella Valmorbida, took part in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit, held in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, from 6 to 10 October 2025.
This year’s Summit gathered more than 2,000 high-level representatives from governments, civil society, and international institutions from around the world to exchange experiences, best practices, and progress on open government initiatives addressing today’s most pressing governance challenges.
The Open Government Partnership is built on a simple but powerful idea: an open government is more accessible, responsive, and accountable to its citizens. Strengthening the relationship between people and their governments generates long-term and far-reaching benefits for societies as a whole.
OGP is a broad international partnership, bringing together national and local governments alongside thousands of civil society organisations. Through the Partnership, these actors co-create two-year action plans containing concrete commitments across a wide range of policy areas. This model ensures that civil society and citizens have a formal role in shaping, implementing, and monitoring government actions.
Since its creation, more than 4,000 commitments have been made globally, a testament to the transformative potential of open governance.
“Local democracy is where trust and participation begin”
Antonella Valmorbida, ALDA Secretary General, participated as a speaker on 8 October in the panel “Local Open Government to Transform Democracy: Proximity, Accountability and Impact”, moderated by Emilia Saiz, Secretary General of UCLG.
In her speech, she underlined the central role of local democracy in building resilient and inclusive communities:
We represent more than 300 members — local authorities and civil society organisations from Europe, the Neighbourhood, and beyond — all united by one mission: to strengthen local democracy through the empowerment of local governments and citizens alike.
Strong local democracy means strong communities. It means giving local authorities the powers, competences, and resources they need. But it also means enabling citizens to engage, to participate, and to become full counterparts in shaping local policies.
She stressed how local governance serves as a laboratory for innovation, enabling co-creation between citizens and institutions and opening spaces where women, youth, and underrepresented groups can contribute meaningfully to democratic life.
Local democracy is not just a level of governance — it is where trust, participation, and democracy itself begin.
Antonella also presented ALDA’s work worldwide in promoting democratic resilience and citizen participation:
- In Ukraine, supporting local communities amid war.
- In Türkiye, strengthening women’s engagement in local elections.
- In Africa, empowering youth and women through civic participation initiatives.
- In the Western Balkans, preparing local communities for EU integration.
- Across regions, combating disinformation and building local democratic capacities.
Through these efforts, ALDA continues to promote transparency, accountability, and cooperation between citizens, local authorities, and institutions.
Looking ahead
The summit also addressed emerging challenges for the OGP, including a reduction in U.S. funding, a legacy of its origins as a Barack Obama initiative. Nevertheless, the event reaffirmed the strong momentum and global relevance of the OGP community, particularly as AI, digitalisation, and innovation increasingly shape the governance landscape.For ALDA, participation in the OGP Global Summit was an important opportunity to amplify the voice of local democracy on the global stage, build new alliances, and explore future avenues for collaboration within the open government movement.
