🇧🇷 Decidim in Brazil: Building Community and Digital Democracy

Last week, a Decidim delegation, made up of Ali González and Nil Homedes Busquets, traveled to Brazil to participate in América Abierta 2024 and sign a historic agreement with the Federal Government of Brazil. Here are the highlights of this trip:

Connecting with Academia

Our first stop was the University of Brasília, where we visited the Lappis Lab, the team behind Brasil Participativo—the largest implementation of Decidim, with over 1.5 million participants. We had the opportunity to learn about their work and present Decidim to students and academics, exploring how our platform can continue driving civic engagement and digital sovereignty.

América Abierta Opening

We attended the opening of América Abierta 2024, connecting with the inspiring community behind this event, a key space for reflecting on participation and technology in Latin America.

A Historic Day for Decidim

🏛️ Meeting at the Spanish Embassy
We met with representatives from the Spanish Embassy, OGP Spain, and the Government of Brazil to discuss the collaboration with Decidim and the next steps. The embassy reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the project.

✒️ Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

At the Presidential Palace, we signed a MoU with the Government of Brazil, solidifying our collaboration to strengthen social participation, digital democracy, and free software. This agreement results from a year of joint work with Brasil Participativo and the Lappis Lab, marking a milestone as Brazil joins the collective governance of Decidim as a #DigitalPublicGood.

Innovation and Regional Community

🤖 Panel on Emerging Technologies
Nil participated in a debate organized by the OECD, highlighting how AI can enhance participatory processes, from accessibility to large-scale deliberation. He emphasized the importance of developing open-source AI models within public institutions.

👥 First Meeting of Decidim LATAM
We organized a gathering with key civil society actors and governments across Latin America, marking the foundational moment of the Decidim LATAM community. We committed to working together to consolidate this regional network.

Participatory Experiences from Latin America

In a panel organized by the Government of Brazil, five notable Decidim projects were presented:

• Mexico: Participation in Monterrey, focusing on disadvantaged areas.

• Uruguay: Migration from Consul to Decidim with a focus on autonomy.

• Ecuador: Training in Cuenca for autonomous participatory management.

• Brazil: Integration of social participation into government action.

• Argentina: Rosario adapting Decidim to reflect its local values.

Ali highlighted differences between Europe and Latin America in participatory processes, such as the digital divide and institutional trust. All presentations emphasized Decidim's modularity and values as essential elements for transformative projects.

A Turning Point

This visit not only reinforced our collaboration with Brazil but also marked the beginning of a more articulated community in Latin America. Decidim is advancing toward a more inclusive, collaborative, and digitally sovereign future.