7-9 October 2025, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

The IX OGP Global Summit brought together over 2,000 global reformers, including heads of state, ministers, civil society leaders, and experts from more than 70 countries, to discuss the future of open government, transparency, and trust. Discussions centred on rebuilding public confidence, protecting civic space, and leveraging technology and data to strengthen democracy. A key outcome of the Summit was the Vitoria-Gasteiz Declaration, endorsed by nearly 160 governments and organizations, calling for renewed collaboration, integrity, and resilience in democratic governance.

High-level speeches underscored the link between open government and democracy. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama, and other global leaders emphasized that openness, accountability, and ethical governance are vital tools for defending democratic values in challenging times. The Summit’s three pillars: People, Institutions, and Technology & Open Data, guided discussions across panels and workshops.

ReSPA supported the participation of Open Government Partnership Points of Contact from the Western Balkans, ensuring the region’s achievements and priorities were visible on the global stage. Through the high-level panel “Public Integrity, Transparency and Ethics”, Ms Adea Pirdeni, Minister of State for Standards and Services of Albania, highlighted regional efforts to promote integrity, accountability, and trust in public institutions.

At the side event “Responsible Use of Emerging Technologies: AI and Data for Open Government”, ReSPA participated in the panel session “From concept to practice: the global rise of open government training” and regional and joint meetings with WBs and EaP. This participation fostered dialogue between Western Balkan and worldwide administrations on advancing open governance and digital transformation.

The event concluded with a closing speech by His Majesty King Felipe VI, who underscored that open government is the cornerstone of democracy and trust in institutions, reaffirming Spain’s role as an OGP founding member and its commitment to advancing transparency and citizen participation worldwide.

The Summit also celebrated the inaugural Open Gov Challenge Awards, honouring ambitious reforms in digital governance, anti-corruption, civic space, and public participation, and announced new strategic partnerships with AECID, Co-Develop, the European Partnership for Democracy, and UNDP to promote democratic resilience and inclusive governance globally.