At the 79th United Nations General Assembly, the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, declared his commitment to open government values and announced that the country will host the 2025 Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit. The event will convene heads of state, civil society leaders, and international organisations from more than 70 countries, to discuss solutions to the world’s most pressing problems and advance key principles of transparency, accountability, and public participation.
“We must work to ensure that citizens feel that democracy is close to them, that it belongs to them, that it is alive. With that in mind, Spain will champion that vision via our co-chairmanship of the Open Government Partnership and host its 9th Global Summit next year in Vitoria Gasteiz,” said President Sánchez.
The announcement comes as Spain prepares to assume the role of Co-Chair of the OGP Steering Committee on October 1, 2024 alongside Cielo Magno, President of Bantay Kita-Publish What You Pay Philippines. Spain and Magno’s leadership will focus on rebuilding citizen trust in government institutions.
The chairs envision leveraging the power of three axis points, ‘people, institutions, and technology’, ensuring that OGP addresses today’s challenges by incorporating diverse perspectives.
The Government of Spain, a member of OGP since 2011, was selected by its fellow Steering Committee members to succeed the Government of Kenya and Blair Glencorse as Chairs, recognising its commitment to lead by example in issues like public participation and its experience mainstreaming open government at all levels of government.
“The 2025 OGP Global Summit to be co-hosted by Spain and Cielo Magno promises to be a landmark event. It will convene a global coalition of government leaders, civil society activists and international partners advancing open government and renewing democracy beyond the ballot box, just when millions will cast their votes in elections around the world,” said Sanjay Pradhan, CEO of the Open Government Partnership. “We thank the Government of Kenya and Blair Glencorse for steering the Partnership this past year,”
The OGP Global Summit is a crucial moment for government officials, civil society, international organisations, and donors to reconnect, collaborate and share innovative approaches to open up governments. During the Summit, participants will have the opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities they face in the pursuit of greater transparency, service delivery, and citizen empowerment.
