The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The Philippines and Quezon City earned major recognition for transparency, civic engagement, and open governance at the 2025 Open Gov Challenge Awards during the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
Quezon City was named Regional Winner for Asia and the Pacific and received the Thematic Award for Civic Space, while the Philippines won the Thematic Award for Open Contracting and received an Honorable Mention for efforts to strengthen public participation and accountability.
Mayor Joy Belmonte, who attended the summit, said the twin awards affirmed Quezon City’s leadership in open government innovation anchored on participatory budgeting, inclusive policymaking, and strong civil society collaboration.
The Open Gov Challenge Awards, launched this year, invited governments and civil society groups to submit ambitious reforms under 10 themes, including anti-corruption, digital governance, fiscal openness, justice, and climate action.
According to the OGP, over 160 commitments were submitted worldwide, reflecting a growing global movement to promote democracy through open and accountable governance.
Other national-level winners included Nigeria, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine, while regional local-level awardees were Tangier (Morocco), Nuevo León (Mexico), and Zagreb (Croatia).
Thematic Awardees also included Nandi (Kenya), Metsamor (Armenia), Costa Rica, and Brazil, while Honorable Mentions were given to the Philippines, Bogotá (Colombia), Córdoba Province (Argentina), Nuevo León (Mexico), and others.