It’s the event of reference about participatory democracy at global level. Annually, it turns into a meeting point of political leaders and experts. It aims to promote the role of cities to strengthen democracy. It’s also an opportunity to boost cooperation between cities and international organizations in the field of democratic innovations. This year, the conference is organized by the Barcelona City Council, the city that holds the Presidency of the IOPD.
This year the topics will be direct democracy, citizen initiative and ecosystems of inclusive democracy. Here you will find a detailed description of each of these three thematic blocs.
The Conference is to be held on the 25th, 26th and 27th of November, in the city of Barcelona, at the installations known as the “City of Theatre”, which for three days will be converted into the “City of Democracy”. The installations include the Mercat de les Flors, the Teatre Lliure and the Institut del Teatre. A marquee will also be set up in the adjacent Plaça de Margarita Xirgu.
The conference will start with a cocktail party to welcome the participants, on the evening of the 25th, and will conclude with a dinner on the night of the 27th.
Moreover, the Democratic Cities Conference will also be taking place on the 28th, along with the Jam of the Metadecidim Community.
It is open to anyone interested in the implementation of participatory democracy at the local level. Some of the persons who may be interested are:
The International Observatory on Participatory Democracy (IOPD) is a worldwide network of local governments, organisations and research centres with an interest in learning about, exchanging impressions on and applying participatory democracy experiences in the local sphere, for the purpose of extending democracy. The IOPD works closely with the Barcelona City Council and with United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG).
Find out more about IOPD at www.oidp.net