𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲

QUEZON CITY — Youth organizations gathered on February 20 at Ateneo de Manila University to advance a more structured and inclusive framework for youth engagement in open governance, marking a significant step in the formation of the PH-OGP Youth Network.

The inception meeting, organized by 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗣𝗛, is part of the “GenOGP” initiative supported by the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) and the Youth Democracy Cohort. The program seeks to engage Filipino youth in reviewing, monitoring, and co-creating youth-centered commitments under the Philippine Open Government Partnership, including the development of a proposed PH-OGP Youth Action Plan.

During the discussions, it was emphasized that 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 and instead be institutionalized through sustained capacity-building and technical grounding within existing governance frameworks such as the Open Government Partnership (OGP).

BLN underscored that the presence of meaningful youth participation or the lack thereof, does not only affect young people themselves, but also directly impacts the quality, inclusiveness, and legitimacy of decisions made by duty-bearers. By anchoring youth engagement within OGP’s established mechanisms for co-creation, monitoring, and accountability, the network can foster a guided, credible, and policy-aligned platform.

BLN was represented in the workshops by Dexter Lloyd Sularte and Gella Leano, who contributed to breakout sessions and strategic planning discussions. Sularte advocated for the establishment of regional chapters of the proposed youth platform to address accessibility gaps for organizations outside Metro Manila, particularly in areas where civic space remains constrained. He emphasized that decentralizing engagement mechanisms is essential to ensuring inclusive representation and equitable participation nationwide.

The BLN delegation also engaged with GoodGovPH founders Dexter Yang and Bryan Gonzales, exploring pathways for sustained collaboration among youth-led and youth-serving institutions committed to transparency, accountability, and participatory governance.

As the PH-OGP Youth Network continues to develop, participating organizations affirmed their shared commitment to strengthening institutional channels for youth participation and cultivating principled, competent, and reform-oriented young leaders within the Philippine open government ecosystem.

#GoodGovernance #YouthLeadership #youthempowerment #OGP #OpenGovernment