Helen Clark: Speech at the OGP Summit 2015 Event “Openness for All: The Role for OGP in the 2030 Development Agenda”

I am pleased to be able to attend this third Global Summit of the Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More (OGP). UNDP is proud to be an official partner of OGP – indeed OGP’s overall agenda is very close to that of UNDP’s governance portfolio. We both emphasize citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More, responsive public services, transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More, and accountability.

Last month at the Sustainable Development Summit in New York, world leaders unanimously adopted “Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” and its seventeen Sustainable Development GoalsOGP countries are experimenting with open government innovations to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 16+ which includes peaceful, just and inclusive societies... (SDGs).

Agenda 2030 is a bold, ambitious, and transformational agenda. It is also a universal agenda applying to all countries regardless of development status.

The SDGs break new ground with Goal 16 committing Member States to “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justiceAccessible justice systems – both formal and informal – ensure that individuals and communities with legal needs know where to go for help, obtain the help they need, and move through a system tha... More for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels”. Agenda 2030 explicitly recognizes the strong link between achieving sustainable development and peace.

Agreement on Goal 16 by world leaders resonates with the call by millions of citizens around the world who, when they were asked what they wanted included in the new goals, answered “honest and responsive government”. Goal 16 is also a natural fit with the objectives of the OGP. Its targets include:

• promoting the rule of law at the national and international levels, and ensuring equal access to justiceTo address barriers that prevent citizens from having their justice needs met, OGP participating governments are working to expand transparency, accountability, and inclusion into all systems of justi...,

• substantially reducing corruption and bribery in all their forms,

• developing effective, accountable, and transparent institutions,

• ensuring responsive, inclusive, participatory, and representative decision making, and

• ensuring public access to information and the protection of fundamental freedoms.

UN Member States were fully engaged in reaching agreement on the SDGs. That has resulted in widespread government ownership of the Goals, and keen interest in their implementation.

On every continent, we see many governments and parliaments moving to plan incorporation of the SDGs into national visions, set up cross-party parliamentary groupings, and forge new partnerships within their societies around the SDGs.

The role of civil society is crucial for the success of the SDGs. We need open, vibrant, and safe civic spaces within which civil society actors, including always women and youthRecognizing that investing in youth means investing in a better future, OGP participating governments are creating meaningful opportunities for youth to participate in government processes. Technical ..., can contribute effectively to building more peaceful, just, and inclusive societies.

When the SDGs were adopted, the Open Government Partnership released a Joint Declaration welcoming them, and, in particular, welcoming Goal 16. There is no doubt that OGP can play a very important role in supporting countries to implement Goal 16 and its targets.

The OGP’s framework and model of co-operation have already equipped its members with some of the key elements of what it will take to deliver on the 2030 Agenda; for example, with:

1) the capacity to adapt global agendas to national contexts, ensuring integration with national priorities, 

2) the ability to mobilize broad support across sectors, including engaging civil society as equal partners with governments in setting priorities and developing home-grown solutions;

3) the commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... to monitor and measure progress, clearly showing what works and how far it has taken countries forward on agreed targets; and,

4) the boldness to be innovative, to explore and make the most of technology advances and the data revolution to advance goals.

Also important, OGP members have made a head start in what is understood as key to progress across the SDGS – securing stakeholders’ commitment to build the kind of societies which make sustainable development possible – peaceful and inclusive societies and which have transparent, accountable, and responsive institutions and governance.

OGP and UNDP synergies

UNDP has been at the forefront of helping countries build inclusive, responsive, and accountable institutions as a sustainable development imperative, including as a partner of OGP.

Since 2011, more than 2,000 commitments have been made by OGP member countries which have resulted in concrete and verifiable transformations over time. Some examples of UNDP support include:

• El Salvador, where UNDP facilitated civil society engagement to develop the OGP 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.... UNDP also supported a platform of “Civil Society Organizations for the Open Government Partnership” to follow up on action plan commitments and advance citizen engagement. 

• Chile, where UNDP supported the elaboration of the first Action Plan for Legislative Openness within OGP, assisting efforts to modify Congress’ internal regulations and practices on ethics, transparency and anti-corruption. 

• In Armenia, based on our existing Innovation Lab, UNDP has supported a team of change-makers within the Prime Minister’s office to design an upcoming innovation lab within the Government itself.  The lab, to be called ‘The Open Governance Centre’, will create a new interface to communicate much more directly with the citizenry.  The Centre will conduct ‘idea’ competitions within the Government itself, and will use crowdsourcing, TEDx conferences and social media to actively engage citizenry in the reform process. 

Going forward, I believe it will be useful for OGP to align its work on national action plans with countries’ plans for the SDGs. The UN development system will be looking to align its own programming with SDG objectives. 

Together OGP and UNDP can be very helpful partners on Goal 16. Take for example, 

• Philippines, where since 2012 UNDP has supported efforts to develop a corruption-intolerant society. This is aligned with Philippines’ efforts in OGP to enhance fiscal transparency in extractive industriesApplying open government values of transparency, participation, and accountability to extractive industries can decrease corruption, safeguard community interests and needs, and support environmental ..., which required companies to disclose revenues. Let’s align these efforts with the SDG target on substantially reducing corruption. 

There will be countless such opportunities to align our work in support of national efforts on the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. UNDP will be supporting countries in the implementation of the SDGs at the national level, in helping to localize the Goals, and in monitoring and reporting on them. 

So, as we discuss the OGP role in the 2030 Agenda here, let us also explore how we can work more closely together. Goal 16 – like all the other goals – is ambitious, and cannot be achieved by any single agency, country, or organization alone. Yet it is fundamental to securing long term sustainable development based on peace and inclusionOGP participating governments are working to create governments that truly serve all people. Commitments in this area may address persons with disabilities, women and girls, lesbian, gay, bisexual, tr... – and to leaving no-one behind.