Surrey expertise leads global dialogue on digital governance at OGP Summit

The summit, held in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, brought together over 2,000 participants from more than 70 countries to advance open government principles, namely transparency, participation, and accountability, to rebuild trust and strengthen democracy worldwide. The event concluded with the adoption of the Vitoria-Gasteiz Declaration, a shared commitment among global partners to safeguard civic space and apply open governance to address challenges like corruption, climate change, and the ethical governance of technology.

For a full recap of the summit's activities, including speeches by global leaders, visit the official OGP news page.

Chairing the high level plenary on digital rights and governance

Highlighting the University of Surrey’s direct influence on global policy, Associate Professor Bonina was honoured to chair the high-level plenary on digital rights and governance.

The plenary convened an exceptional panel of international figures, including Oscar López Águeda (Spanish Digital Minister), Daniel Mordecki (Uruguay's Digital Minister), Mykola Vavryshchuk (Deputy Mayor of Khmelnytski, Ukraine), and leading civil society advocates Nighat Dad (Pakistan), Daniela Chacón-Mendoza (Costa Rica), Velislava Petrova (UK), alongside academic expert Kyung Sin Park.

The conversation was clear and decisive: the decisions we make about technology are fundamentally about power, democracy, human rights, and public trust.

Drawing directly on her impact-driven research, Professor Bonina led the dialogue by advocating for proactive, evidence-based governance to ensure digital transformation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) truly serve the public interest. The panel pressed global leaders on several critical and urgent issues:

• The necessity of Big Tech accountability measures to safeguard the public good
• The essential practice of centring marginalised voices from the Global South in policy development
• Learning from past regulatory failures to frame urgent action on digital transformation and AI.

This high-profile platform established the University of Surrey’s position at a critical juncture of global digital policy formation, demonstrating how academic expertise can directly inform and shape international frameworks.

Surrey’s commitment to global impact

Beyond chairing the plenary, Professor Bonina contributed to several other vital summit discussions on data, governance, and AI, engaging with international leaders and colleagues – as well as royalty!

Her attendance, supported by Surrey Business School and the University of Surrey ESRC IAA, underscores the University’s commitment to translating research directly into global policy debates – the very arena where meaningful impact happens.

Professor Bonina said: “I return from the summit feeling both inspired and with a renewed sense of urgency, profoundly proud of the commitment and resilience shown by public servants and civil society leaders who continue to champion transparency and democracy despite intensifying global pressures.

“The OGP Global Summit successfully united the open government community around a shared vision for strengthening democratic resilience and advancing inclusive governance, a vision actively shaped by the contributions of Surrey Business School’s expertise.”