Norway Mid-Term Report 2016-2018 – For Public Comment

We invite you to comment on the Independent Reporting Mechanism’s Year 1 Report for Norway’s second action planAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen.... The two-week public comment closed Monday, 23 April 2018.

In 2018, the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM)The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) is OGP’s accountability arm and the main means of tracking progress in participating countries. The IRM provides independent, evidence-based, and objective ... published the Year 1 report for Norway’s second action plan. The report covers the first year of action plan implementation: June 2016 through June 2017.

The findings from the report are summarized below in English:

“Norway’s action plan included commitments in relevant policy areas such as access to information, financial data disclosure, and corporate reporting. While progress has been made in implementation, some areas need strengthening. Moving forward, commitments need to be specific with regard to intended results and activities. Stakeholders recommend prioritizing further development of online public records and setting up a public register of company beneficial ownershipDisclosing beneficial owners — those who ultimately control or profit from a business — is essential for combating corruption, stemming illicit financial flows, and fighting tax evasion. Technical....”

and in Norwegian:

“Norges handlingsplan inkluderer forpliktelser innenfor relevante områder som tilgang til informasjon, åpenhet om offentlige budsjetter og næringsliv. Selv om det har vært fremdrift i gjennomføringen, er det en del områder hvor innsatsen må styrkes. Fremtidige handlingsplaner bør ha mer konkrete målsettinger og forventede resultater. Sivilsamfunnet prioriterer videre utvikling av tilgang på offentlige dokumenter og etableringen av et offentlig eierskapsregister.”

Comments are welcome below, or by e-mail to: irm@opengovpartnership.org. Please specify in your email if you wish for your comments to remain anonymous.