On June 24, the Decidim Association and the New York City Civic Engagement Commission, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during a ceremony in NYC. The event brought together representatives from both organisations, alongside delegates from Barcelona City Council and the Government of Catalonia. 

The agreement marks a significant milestone for the Decidim project, making New York City the first local government outside Catalonia to establish a formal collaboration framework with the Decidim Association. 

The partnership lays the foundation for deeper collaboration between the two organisations, with a shared commitment to strengthening participatory democracy through open-source digital infrastructure. 

"The agreement marks the beginning of a deeper collaboration to improve the platform and support its adoption by governments and communities across the United States."

— Nil Homedes, Executive Director of the Decidim Association

The MoU reflects a shared vision of digital democracy built on transparency, collaboration, and public ownership. By formalising this relationship, both organisations aim to exchange knowledge, work together improving Decidim, and strengthen the global ecosystem around Decidim. 

With this MoU, New York joins a growing list of institutions that have already signed collaboration agreements with Decidim: the federal government of Brazil, the Generalitat de Catalunya, Localret, the Barcelona Provincial Council, and Barcelona City Council. This milestone reinforces Decidim's position as the leading open-source participatory democracy infrastructure worldwide.

Meeting with the Office of Mass Engagement

On Wednesday, the 24th, we met with the team from the Office of Mass Engagement, a new office created by Mayor Mamdami designed to transform how New Yorkers engage with their government. We presented the Decidim project to them and began exploring possible use cases for the platform, with the goal of expanding its use beyond participatory budgeting so that it can be used for the new administration’s projects. 

Decidim at the United Nations: Cities, Democracy and Open Source

The collaboration continued during the United Nations Open Source Week, where Decidim co-organised the panel Cities, Democracy and Open-Source. The session brought together representatives from cities and public institutions around the world to discuss how open-source technologies can strengthen democratic governance by making public systems more transparent, auditable and accountable.

Participants explored the role of cities in building public digital infrastructures and highlighted the importance of involving residents not only in civic participation, but also in the design, governance and evolution of the digital tools that support democracy. 

Barcelona featured prominently as a leading example in this field, showcasing Decidim as a flagship open-source platform for democratic participation. 

The partnership between the Decidim Association and the NYC Civic Engagement Commission, together with the conversations held at the UN highlights a growing international movement to build democratic digital infrastructure that is open , collaborative and transparent to the public.