The fourth CITER Forum, focusing on Citizenship, Innovation, and Territory, was held today at the Casa de la Cultura in Los Llanos de Aridane, La Palma. Organised by the Canary Islands’ Presidency Department, led by Nieves Lady Barreto, the forum aimed to explore public policy design and institutional management.
This year’s event, facilitated by the General Directorate of Transparency and Citizen Participation, emphasised sharing experiences and knowledge related to citizen engagement and public management innovation. Participants included representatives from various public administrations, professionals, and specialists discussing strategies to involve citizens in the policymaking process.
In her opening remarks, Carmen Delia Alberto, the General Director of Transparency and Citizen Participation, highlighted the forum’s role as a meeting point for administrations, professionals, and citizens. She stated, “The main goal of these meetings is to ensure the opinions and proposals from the public truly influence public decisions.”
Verónica González, the councillor for Trade in the Los Llanos de Aridane council, stressed the importance of improving the area following the Tajogaite volcano eruption. She noted, “The municipality has the highest citizen participation on the island, emphasising the need for ongoing collaboration.”
A key part of the agenda was a talk by sociologist Ernesto Ganuza from the Institute for Public Policy and Goods at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). He discussed integrating citizen input into public action and explored tools for engaging the public in decision-making and policy creation.
The programme also featured a series of informative sessions on initiatives promoting participation and territorial development, including ‘Islas Responsables’ Lab (IRLab) from the Canary Government, ADER La Palma’s ‘Participatory Local Development Strategies,’ and the ‘Canarias Experimenta: Citizen Laboratories’ initiative.
These presentations shared various approaches to foster citizen involvement and collaboration among stakeholders.
Additionally, the forum showcased a panel of best practices involving citizen participation at institutional levels, featuring representatives from La Palma and Gran Canaria councils, along with the city councils of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Participants discussed public consultations, participatory budgeting, and other methods to incorporate citizen contributions into institutional governance.
The day concluded with a workshop led by Ganuza on integrating citizen input into public management, providing practical tools and methodologies for developing participatory processes tailored to public administration needs.
With this fourth edition, the CITER Forum continues to promote connections among administrations, professionals, and citizens to encourage a more open, collaborative, and community-focused public management model.
