This high-level panel, organized by ICLD and IOPD brings together a group of leading politicians from Sweden, Spain, and Ukraine to share their personal stories on the value of letting people decide over the municipal budget. What are their motivations? Why do they believe in participatory budget? What are the limitations and what can be achieved?
Date: 27 May 12:00 – 13:00 (CEST)
Letting people participate and decide on how public funds should be spent can contribute to more democratic engagement. It can create a stronger link between citizens and local politicians leading to more accountability and transparency. Participatory budgets originally coined in the city of Porto Alegre in Brazil at the end of 1990s have been used for a long time in different parts of the world and few experiments have been conducted in Sweden and Ukraine. However, participatory budget requires politicians who can share power with their citizens. Why are some local politicians actively supporting participatory budgeting while many others don't?
Panelists:
Marc Serra, Secretary General of the IOPD and Councilor Barcelona – Spain
Anna-Carin Magnusson, Mayor of the city of Nässjö – Sweden
Peter Jansson, President of the city council of Åre – Sweden
Oleksandr Syenkevych, Mayor of Mykolaiv, Ukraine
Iryna Skaliy, National Programme Officer, Ukraine
Moderator: Ana-Maria Vargas, ICLD
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