The IOPD co-organised an international gathering on participatory democracy
The event brought together officials from Barcelona, Córdoba, Madrid and Montreal and served to announce the results of the 14th IOPD Award
Description
On Monday 5 October 2020, the first public meeting of the pilot project on participatory democracy, being carried out by the cities of Córdoba, Madrid, Barcelona and Montréal, was held, co-organised by Metropolis and the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy. The aim of this meeting was to reflect on the challenges of participation in large cities and metropolitan spaces, as well as to share and exchange experiences of citizen participation and disseminate the lessons learned in order to promote active citizen participation in public affairs in the four cities, and thus increase institutional capacities.
The session of 5 October, organised by the Municipality of Cordoba, was opened by the Secretary of Government, Miguel Siciliano, the Secretariat of Planning, Modernization and International Relations, Alejandra Torres, and the Secretary General of Metropolis, Octavi de la Varga, who made the main presentation on citizen participation in large metropolises. Each of the participating cities took the floor to present the different initiatives on participatory democracy that their governments are carrying out, in a dialogue table moderated by the IOPD coordinator, Adrià Duarte.
On behalf of the city of Córdoba, the Undersecretary for Planning and Management for an Inclusive City, Liliana Montero, presented the socio-economic and social infrastructure map of the city. On behalf of Barcelona City Council, Pau González Val, Advisor to the Department of Citizenship Rights and Participation, explained the municipal participation system and the role of the Decidim platform in it. Representing Madrid City Council, Sara Aranda, Director General of Citizen Participation, also explained that the processes underway are mainly based on the council's online platform. Representing Montréal, Luc Doray, Secretary General of the Office of Public Consultation, explained how the entity works, an independent office that ensures the effective fulfilment of the rights linked to citizen participation.
The day also saw the announcement of the winners of the 14th IOPD Award, due to the cancellation of the IOPD 2020 Conference due to health contingencies. You can find more information about the announcement here.
You can watch the online session below:
The second session of the project, which took place on 6 October, brought together the technical teams from each city. The case of the Decidim platform and its experiences in various contexts were studied in more detail. Based on this case, the challenges of digital participation were discussed in general terms, emphasising the need to combine it with face-to-face strategies and a strengthening of digital rights.
This project plans more sessions in the future that will be disseminated from the usual channels of the Observatory.
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