The International Observatory on Participatory Democracy (IOPD) organises an international conference every year to discuss and reflect on the state of local and regional participatory democracy in the world. The IOPD Conference is organised by a local or regional government that holds the network's presidency and defines the event's main theme, according to their priorities in this area. 

This international event brings together local, regional and national elected officials, facilitators, academics and political activists working towards a stronger, more diverse and inclusive democracy. The IOPD Conference consists of lectures, panel discussions around specific issues, parallel exchange sessions, and multiple parallel meetings between participants. 

The host city commits to assume the costs of organising the IOPD Conference and to find the necessary partners for this purpose.

The IOPD Technical Secretariat is launching a call for cities interested in organising the 24th  IOPD Conference in 2025. In 2023 the 22nd IOPD Conference will be hosted by the City of Rio de Janeiro in Brasil and the City of Valongo will host the 23rd Conference in 2024.

Nominations will be discussed at the IOPD General Assembly to be held on 8 November, 2023.

To submit your application, you must send an e-mail before 31 October to info@oidp.net with:

• A letter from the political head of the local or regional government presenting the bid.
• A general description of the proposed contents of the conference (maximum two pages).
• A general description of the technical and financial resources of the local government submitting the bid (maximum two pages) and the desired partnerships to organise the event.

The following cities have organised the IOPD Conference since 2001: Barcelona, Quetzaltenango, Lille, Buenos Aires, San Sebastián-Donostia, Nanterre, La Paz, Reggio Emilia, Mexico City, Lleida, Porto Alegre, Cascais, Canoas, Madrid, Matola, Montreal, Barcelona, Iztapalapa, Cocody, Grenoble and Rio de Janeiro.

• Rules for the election of the host city of the conference and for the Presidency of the IOPD 2025.
• If you are interested to become the host city, you can read the Terms of Reference of the logistics for the organisation. 
• The deadline for submitting a bid to host the conference is 31 October 2023.
• Should you have any questions, we are happy to help you at info@oidp.net