Citizen Participation and Inclusive Governance

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Citizen Participation and Inclusive Governance

Introduction

Sustainable development is driven by local governments that are responsive to the needs of their citizens and willing to involve them in their decision-making processes. To make this work, citizens need to feel empowered to make their voices heard and cooperate effectively with the authorities.

This course discusses basic principles of participation, inclusion, transparency, and social accountability and how to put them into practice. It shows concrete examples of innovative strategies, outreach approaches and communication tools. Participants discuss the basic conditions for successful participation and share lessons learned from experience, such as the importance of creating trust and managing expectations.

Special attention is given to ensuring all voices are heard, including women, youth and people with disabilities. Furthermore, we explore how information technologies can ensure greater accountability and transparency within government and facilitate meaningful participation.

Through a blend of classroom insights and hands-on site visits, I am equipped with the tools of community led public place making, gender inclusive governance and open data collection, I proudly apply this knowledge in my daily endeavours.

Martha Sharon Opilli, participant 2024, Program Manager at Keeping Alive Societies Hope, Kenya.

Key Information

The Citizen Participation and Inclusive Governance course is designed for professionals at governments, NGOs and development organisations, working on government reforms, institutional strengthening, participation, inclusion and social accountability to promote locally led development.

The course will take place in The Hague from 23 March 2026 to 03 April 2026.

The course fee is € 3,995 *. This includes all training related costs as well as drinks and warm lunches during the training days. Group discounts are available if organisations participate with three or more colleagues.

This training takes place in The Hague, Netherlands.

After this course, participants will receive a professional certificate of completion from The Hague Academy for Local Governance.

*Professionals working in local government or for local NGOs on the DAC list of ODA-recipient countries (OECD) may qualify for a reduced course fee. Contact us for details.

Learning objectives

Guided by high-level international experts, participants will be able to:

Understand basic concepts of citizen participation and social accountability, such as government-citizen relations, trust building, the role of local government, and the participation ladder

Specify the conditions and dos and don’ts for successful citizen participation

Define instruments and tools to facilitate open, transparent government, including open data initiatives

Adopt an innovation mindset and learn from innovative participation and inclusion practices from different countries, such as citizen assemblies and public placemaking

Develop sustainable approaches to include women, youth and persons with a disability in policy and decision-making processes.

Experts

Experts that are involved in this course:

Shakira van Steenis

Shakira is a citizen participation expert at the Dutch Association of Municipalities, who previously led the NGOs ‘Love and Sorrow Streets’ and the ‘Grassroots office’, foundations that aim to get participation off the ground, for instance, by designing urban spaces together with citizens.

Nicolas Haezebrouck

Nicolas is a governance specialist and trainer with over 10 years of experience in a variety of conflict-affected and fragile countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. His expertise lies in decentralisation, local governance, anti-corruption, and conflict and gender sensitive governance.

Lindsay Vogelzang

Lindsay is an expert in youth engagement with experience in different parts of the world. She develops participatory approaches for local, public, and private governance, taking into consideration future generations. She has collaborated with the Dutch Youth Institute and Erasmus+ and works as a national coordinator for Democracy Reloading.

Sofka Trajcevska

Sofka Trajcevska is a policy analyst and researcher specialising in disability rights and inclusion, community-based rehabilitation and development. She currently works for the foundation Enablement and has previously worked for Women Engage for a Common Future and the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights.

Experience

Participants will be introduced to a diversity of practical and innovative tools to advance citizen participation at the local level. Based on the exchange of experiences and case studies presented, they will reflect on these approaches and how they can be applied and adapted to their own context.

A visit to the multicultural Schilderswijk in The Hague shows practical examples of citizen involvement in public placemaking initiatives as well as lessons learned.

At the Municipal Office of The Hague, participants learn about the municipal strategy for citizen participation, the planning of participatory projects, and a variety of methods for collecting feedback from citizens and partners and involving them in local policies.

A visit to the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management provides insights into how public participation is organised in national policies and programmes in The Netherlands.

In the city of Utrecht, participants join an open data tour, illustrating how the city uses open data to promote transparency, accountability and accessibility of local services.

During a meeting with the local Ombudsman, participants learn about the independent role of the institute, protecting the individual rights of citizens, and how it handles complaints and conflicts, a.o. through mediation.

Practical information

Find the practical information for the course here.

Payment
After submitting your completed application, you will receive a confirmation of receipt. Once we have assessed your application and admitted you to the course, we will send you an invoice with payment details.

Payments can be made by bank transfer or by PayPal request. We offer the option of paying in one or two instalments. An advance payment of 50% secures the reservation of a seat at the training until the payment deadline, one week prior to the course start date. Your participation in the course is guaranteed only after receipt of full payment.

Please note that The Hague Academy accepts registrations on a first-paid, first-served policy.
Visa Applications
Some countries require a visa to enter the Netherlands. Please check with The Netherlands or the embassy for the visa requirements related to your country. Because of the length of time needed for the visa procedure, we advise you to start this process as soon as possible. Once we have received your payment for the course, The Hague Academy will send you an acceptance letter which will assist you in arranging your visa to The Netherlands.
Cancellation
We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise, necessitating the cancellation of your attendance. In such cases, please be aware of our cancellation policy:
- For cancellations due to circumstances beyond your control, a reimbursement can be arranged, subject to an administration fee of €350.
- Cancellations made between four and two weeks before the training commences will incur a charge equivalent to 50% of the course fee.
- Cancellations made within two weeks of the training start date, will result in an 80% charge of the fee.
- In the event of a no-show, there will be a 100% charge of the fee.
- Alternatively, you may nominate a qualified substitute to attend the course in your place at no additional cost.
The Hague Academy for Local Governance reserves the right to cancel a course if the number of participants is insufficient or due to any other unforeseen circumstances. In this case, your payment will be 100% reimbursed. Other costs such as transportation or hotel cannot be reimbursed.