More than 1,500 participants from 27 countries gathered in Córdoba for the 24th Conference of the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy (OIDP).
From 21 to 23 May, the Municipality of Córdoba opened its doors to over 1,500 participants from 27 countries who attended the global meeting on local democracy. Under the theme "Connect, Integrate and Humanize: Cities facing the challenge of generating Community”, the 24th OIDP Conference brought together mayors, representatives of local and regional governments, civil society leaders, and experts to reaffirm the importance of participation as a fundamental tool for building trust, social cohesion, and sustainable solutions at the local level.
Day 1: a call to defend democracy as a precious asset from the local level
The conference started with the Opening Ceremony at the Auditorium of the Catholic University of Córdoba, where our President Daniel Passerini, Mayor of Córdoba, welcomed the participants, inviting them to defend democracy as a precious asset from the local level.
From the World Secretariat of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) in Barcelona, Emilia Saiz, UCLG Secretary General, reminded us that democracy is one of the pillars of the social contract that drives the municipalist movement toward a new era of reducing inequalities, always in harmony with human rights and quality public services.
From Valongo, our co-president José Manuel Ribeiro, mayor of that city, reminded us of the importance of empowering communities, especially youth, as they will secure the future of democracy.
Our coordinator Adrià Duarte reiterated the purpose of our annual local democracy gathering: “Our 24th OIDP Conference in Córdoba in 2025 is the key space to defend the essential role of local and regional governments open to participation to strengthen democracy.”
Opening panel: local governments on the frontline of democracy
During the opening panel, Juan Domingo Viola, Secretary of Youth and Citizen Participation of the Municipality of Córdoba, emphasized the key role of local and regional governments in regaining citizens’ trust and renewing the provision of public services: “When people leave their house, the first thing they breathe is the municipality”.
Renato Simoes, National Secretary of Social Participation at the Presidency of Brazil, highlighted the importance of participation in public policies at all levels of government as one of the solutions to the global crisis of democracy. Meanwhile, Konstantinos Koukas, Vice President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, reminded us that efficiency and democracy go hand in hand to strengthen societies from the local level.
More than 20 local and regional leaders share their experiences to leverage local participation
One of the highlights of Day 1 was the “OIDP High-Level Political Dialogue”, which brought together over 20 local and regional leaders from Latin America and Europe to share their experiences enhancing public participation to co-create sustainable solutions in their communities. Whether it was to combat climate change and restore natural ecosystems or to renew the provision of public services with special attention to historically excluded groups, the shared stories evidenced the transformative power of participation and democracy.
Recognizing good practices in citizen participation
Day 1 concluded with the ceremonies of the “Argentina Participates Awards” and the 19th OIDP Award for “Best Practice in Citizen Participation”. The OIDP Award went to the Honorable Municipality of San Luis Potosí for its outstanding citizen engagement initiative in the delivery of quality public services with “Building Citizenship”. Six special mentions were awarded to the local governments of Turin, Mersin, Azuay, Medellín, Tilottama, and Niterói.
More information about the winners of the 19th OIDP Award
Day 2: sharing the potential of participation to build a better world
Day 2 started strongly thanks to the UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights (UCLG-CSIPDHR), organizer of Session 5: “Building Human Rights Cities: Democracy, Participation and Local Action”. In this meeting, representatives of local and regional governments from Africa, the Americas, and Europe shared their experiences on how participation is a powerful tool for fostering active communities that promote and guarantee human rights.
Workshop 7, “Local Democracy Through a Youth Lens: Emerging Leadership and Digital Transformation”, highlighted the fundamental role of youth in local decision-making to face global challenges. Co-organized by UCLG and the NextGenC initiative, this workshop brought together young leaders from Córdoba and local representatives in charge of youth agencies to explain their strategies for building empowered and active youth who co-create solutions to current problems, such as climate change and public space management.
This day also featured a workshop on artificial intelligence and local democracy, continuing the line of work started in Valongo. Under the title “Shaping the Cities of the Future,” the session discussed the dual challenge posed by AI: its potential to improve participation and its risks to human and environmental rights. The session presented experiences, tools, and proposals for ethical and inclusive AI, consolidating this topic as a strategic line for the OIDP.
The day continued in the spirit of transformation toward more inclusive local governance with Workshop 5: “Meeting of local and regional women leaders towards a Participatory and Inclusive Democracy” which brought together more than 100 women leaders from local and regional governments and civil society organizations from around the world.
Day 3: towards a more caring, inclusive, and transformative democracy
The third day of the 24th OIDP Conference began with one of the key topics in contemporary municipalism: caring cities. How do we put life at the center of public policy? What does it mean to care collectively? Experiences from Latin America and Europe demonstrated that participation and inclusive governance are tools to move toward more caring cities.
The day was marked by two sessions focused on including youth in democracy. Specifically, Workshop 6 “Demofuturidades” brought together high school students from Córdoba to reflect collectively on how they imagine the democracy of tomorrow. Led by the CHE Method team — Ernesto Figueroa, Lautaro Aragón, and Delfina Pérez — young people shared their concerns, proposals, and dreams for a more participatory, inclusive, and transformative democracy.
In the afternoon, one of the most important moments for the network took place: the OIDP General Assembly, a key space for collective governance where political orientations and thematic prioritieswere defined. The creation of an Advisory Committee to accompany the OIDP Co-Presidency for Gender Equality and an OIDP Youth Council was approved. In addition, the Córdoba Final Declaration was adopted, a document summarizing the agreements reached during the conference and projecting the OIDP’s agenda into the future.
Finally, at the closing ceremony, Juan Domingo Viola concluded the three-day meeting with a call to continue defending democracy from the community level. This edition of the global gathering on local democracy featured 16 thematic sessions, 7 workshops, and other public policy presentation spaces where the main challenges of participatory local democracy were debated and discussed.
Córdoba officially handed over the presidency to the city of Kraków (Poland), represented by Sebastian Kowalski, Director of Participation, which will host the 25th OIDP Conference from September 21 to 23, 2026.
Thank you for attending #OIDPCórdoba2025!
See you at #OIDPKraków2026 from September 21 to 23, 2026!
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