The session will explore the transformations needed for democratic governments to deliver meaningful change for citizens and earn their trust. Panellists will reflect on the following: What is the vision of the future? What is standing in the way? How can democratic governments get “unstuck”?

This session will begin with a comprehensive presentation of the results of the 2026 edition of the OECD Trust Survey, followed by short reflections from government officials and experts.

Pillar 1 of the Government Unstuck agenda focuses on a new vision for citizens at the heart of reform initiatives and democratic governance. This session will explore how citizens’ understanding and expectations are changing, and how their voices can drive a new model of public governance.

Pillar 2 of the Government Unstuck agenda focuses on a new vision for a radically simplified government. This session will explore how to make government more understandable, accessible and usable for citizens and business, and speed up meaningful delivery of reforms that make a difference in people’s lives.

Pillar 4 of the Government Unstuck agenda focuses on a new vision for a proactive and prepared government. This session will explore how governments can anticipate citizens’ needs and navigate the uncertainties of an increasingly digital, and unpredictable world.

Moderators of the mornings’ parallel sessions will identify key insights from their discussions and shift the focus from vision towards implementation.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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 democratic space from undue influence.