CC9

CC9 The 2026 OECD Trust Survey shows that most citizens see elections as a meaningful way to influence policymaking. Yet many feel they have little influence on government decisions between elections and lack confidence in governments’ ability to address complex, long-term policy challenges. This disconnect is an important driver of low trust. The session will explore what lies behind it and how governments are adapting to address it.

CC9 The pace of technological, economic and societal change is exposing the limits of traditional ways of working in government and creating new opportunities to reengineer how government operates. This session will explore where the greatest opportunities for transformation lie, and how governments are taking action to become simpler, faster and more effective.

CC9 A central objective of the Government Unstuck agenda is to put citizens at the heart of government reform and democratic governance. This session will explore how citizens can visibly influence policymaking beyond the ballot box, and how governments can better understand people, navigate difficult trade-offs and make policy decisions supported by society.

CC2 A key objective of the Government Unstuck agenda is to significantly simplify government and regulations. This session will explore how to make government more legible, coherent and responsive so that citizens, businesses and public servants can achieve better outcomes.

CC7 Another central objective of the Government Unstuck agenda is to develop a more proactive and prepared government. This session will explore how governments can harness data, digital technologies and foresight to anticipate challenges, manage uncertainty and deliver services.

CC9 The development of more autonomous and agentic AI systems presents new opportunities for anticipatory government and proactive service delivery, as well as implications for citizen agency, autonomy and trust. This session will explore the possible impacts of new technology, with the potential to redefine the relationship between citizen and State.

CC9 Profound changes in today’s increasingly fragmented and individualised information ecosystem result in big challenges for public communication. In many cases, government messaging struggles to break through, appears too often as political positioning, or as top-down information sharing. This session will draw on cutting-edge practices to explore how governments can move from traditional information dissemination towards engaging and credible two-way forms of communication and active listening that build understanding, strengthen trust, and lay the groundwork for effective public action.

CC9 Evidence from the OECD Trust Survey shows that whether people feel they have a meaningful voice in public decision-making is one of the strongest drivers of trust. When people do not see how their views are considered, even technically sound reforms can face resistance, delays, and failure. This session will draw on OECD work on open government, including recent experiences in Australia and Spain, to explore how policymakers can support a thriving civic space, create the conditions for citizen participation, and ensure that civic engagement – online and offline – feeds meaningfully into decision‑making in practice.

CC9 This keynote panel will focus on the opportunities and challenges of implementing large scale transformation in government.

CC9 New kinds of data and analysis help governments move beyond traditional metrics to capture citizens’ lived experiences and perceptions. This session will explore how governments can use this data to understand and respond to citizens’ expectations.

CC2 The size, shape and composition of the civil service are changing. This session will outline the role of civil servants in enabling meaningful citizen voices and to deliver on democratic mandates; and identify the new skills, leadership models, ways of working and organisational arrangements that will be needed in the future.

CC9 This session will look at innovation in service delivery, focusing on new approaches for simpler, more proactive services, that anticipate citizens’ needs.

CC2 Government activity is often slowed or “stuck” under layers of unnecessary bureaucracy. This session will explore innovative practices and practical approaches to simplify government operations and redesign processes and structures in ways that maintain and enhance integrity safeguards.

CC9 This panel will reflect on the key insights from the Global Forum and discuss how collective action across borders can help to move from vision to reality. The discussion will emphasise a shared strategic vision focused on building trust by strengthening the roots of societal resilience and protecting the democratic space.

CC9