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 hosted 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 leaders: elected officials, facilitators, academics and political activists working towards a stronger, more diverse and inclusive democracy. The IOPD Conference consists of lectures, panel discussions on specific issues, parallel exchange sessions, and multiple parallel meetings between participants. 

The IOPD Technical Secretariat is launching a call for cities interested in organising the 25th  IOPD Conference in 2026. In 2024 the 23rd IOPD Conference will be hosted by the City of Valongo in Portugal and the City of Córdoba, Argentina, will host the 24th Conference in 2025.

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

Nominations will be discussed at the next 2024 IOPD General Assembly.

To submit your application, you must send an email before 1 October 2024 to oidp@uclg.org 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 the presidency of the IOPD in 2026.
• The deadline for submitting a bid to host the conference is 1 October 2024.

Should you have any questions, we are happy to help you at oidp@uclg.org