What is the IOPD Conference?
It is the leading event on participative democracy worldwide. Every year, it becomes the meeting point for political leaders and experts, with the objective of promoting the role of cities in strengthening democracy. It is also an opportunity to encourage cooperation among cities and international organizations in the democratic innovation arena.
This year, the 19th IOPD Conference, organized by the Municipality of Iztapalapa, which currently presides over the IOPD, will take place between December 7 and 10, 2019 in Iztapalapa, Mexico City. See Conceptual Note.
What is the IOPD?
The International Observatory on Participatory Democracy (IOPD) is a network of more than 1000 cities, entities, organizations, and research centers around the world that are interested in learning about, exchanging, and applying experiences of participative democracy on a local scale with the aim of deepening the roots of democracy in municipal governments.
It was created in 2001 within the framework of the European Commission's URB-AL programme for decentralized cooperation. Since 2006, the IOPD has coordinated with United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG); at present the IOPD is contributing to the development of strategic strands of this organization, producing innovative knowledge in the specific area of citizen participation that can be used by local governments.
In November 2018, the General Assembly of the IOPD agreed on the Agenda for Local Democracy, a work resolution that aims to become a benchmark for local governments around the world.