To join OGP Local, local governments commit to upholding the principles of open and transparent government by endorsing the Open Government Declaration. Members must meet the Eligibility Criteria and pass the OGP Values Check. Prior to submitting the first action plan, OGP members should identify responsible government departments and engage with civil society toward a clear and open process of participation.
The application process is broken in two parts:
Expressions of Interest (EOI)
Government and non-government stakeholders must file a joint expression of interest indicating reasons for interest in the program, track record, capacity and resources available for implementation, what they would like to get out of participation in OGP, and term limit of the current administration.
Full Application
The full application includes a letter from the Head of the Local Government (or level equivalent to Ministerial level) supporting the application, committing to meeting OGP values and support participation of their jurisdiction in the local program; thematic policy areas they wish to advance through their participation; details of how they could help spread the practice of open local government amongst other locals in their jurisdictions; thematic policy areas where they can contribute good practices and lessons learned for other members of the cohort.
See below the letter of the Mayor of Athens, Mr. Haris Doukas, as well as the letter of the President of the Open Technologies Alliance (GFOSS), Mr Ioannis Stamelos, to the Selection Committee for the inclusion of the Municipality of Athens in OGP Local:
Letter of support by the Mayor of Athens
Government Letter of Support: Call for new members to OGP Local 2023
The City of Athens is pleased to submit an application to join OGP Local as part of our continued commitment to advancing the principles of access to information, public participation and public accountability in the way our administration carries out its mandate. By joining OGP Local, we endorse the Open Government Declaration and commit to upholding the principles within it.
The City of Athens is the largest municipality in Greece, with a population above 600.000, and the most historical capital of Europe, with its history spanning more than 6.000 years. Our City has become synonymous with the birth of democracy. Starting from that, we are committed to transforming our city to the one required by the 21st century standard of openness and citizen participation.
We acknowledge that, as a member of OGP Local, we are embarking on a journey of collaboration, learning and action, and commit to working together as partners with non-governmental stakeholders to deliver an open government action plan in 2024 and implement its commitments. In addition, we embed the values of open government in our OGP local process and ensure it is transparent, participatory and accountable.
We are committed to actively engaging our citizens both on the ground as well as by using the tools modern technologies offer us. Various organizations have already expressed their interest to participate in this journey for our city, such as the Open Technologies Alliance (GFOSS), VouliWalch, and Place Identity Clusters. In collaboration with them our City is planning to increase citizens’ access to relevant data, to increase transparency and online engagement, and to bring them physically together in order to co-design our policies.
We expect that by joining OGP Local, we become a member of a global community of government and civil society who strive to innovate, catalyze progress and promote learning within and across jurisdictions. This global community is strengthened by the actions of its members, hence, we pledge to be an active member of this global community, leading by example and supporting other members with peer exchanges and engaging at the local, national and international level to promote the values of open government.
If given the opportunity to become a member of OGP Local in the 2023 call, the Deputy Mayor's office of Education, Digital Governance and Lifelong Learning, led by Panagiotis Kranidiotis will be responsible for leading locally the OGP Local process and liaising with the OGP Support Unit. In addition, we commit to making available the necessary human, financial and technical resources to co-create, implement and learn from ambitious commitments within the action plan.
Haris Doukas, Mayor of The City of Athens
Letter of support by the President of GFOSS
Dear OGP Local Selection Committee,
I am writing on behalf of the Open Technologies Alliance (GFOSS), a non for profit organization dedicated to promoting Open Technologies, Standards, and Processes in the public sector, education, and business in Greece. We are immensely supportive of the City of Athens' application to join the Open Government Partnership Local (OGP Local).
The newly elected administration of the Municipality of Athens has demonstrated a clear commitment to open governance, transparency, and citizen engagement. GFOSS, with its expertise in open technologies, is eager to actively introduce the open source perspective to a city of Athens’ action plan for public participation, transparency, and sustainable development. We firmly believe that the partnership between the Municipality of Athens and GFOSS, in conjunction with OGP Local, will significantly enhance not only the technological modernization of the city of Athens but also its digital sovereignty while respecting democratic values and social and environmental sustainability.
We hereby extend our full support to the City of Athens' application to join OGP Local and look forward to a fruitful collaboration in making Athens a model city for open government.
Sincerely,
Chair of Board GFOSS
Professor Ioannis Stamelos
See the Original Letter
(pdf file, in English)