Public Input Needed: Help the Council of Europe Create their New Co-Creation Guidelines

With our fifth year anniversary around the corner, 2016 is a good time for us to reflect on the successes of OGP as well as the areas that need some improvement. As a part of that process, we are working to upgrade our co-creation guidelines – and at a later moment we will ask for  your input on those. More on that below

Similarly but separately, I have also been a member of the Working Group helping the Council of Europe to prepare guidelines to ensure meaningful civil participation in political decision-making in its 47 member states. These guidelines will be an important benchmark for the openness of public policy making across the European continent, including in the roughly 30 OGP countries that are also part of the Council of Europe.

Before finalising these guidelines, the European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG) and the Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations (Conference of INGOs) are organising a wide public consultation on the draft text.

This consultation seeks to involve public authorities and bodies at central, regional and local level such as ministries, government departments and bodies, regional and municipal councils, and elected officials as well as civil society, including voluntary groups, non-profit organisations, associations, foundations, charities, as well as interest-based community and advocacy groups.

Comments on the guidelines should be grouped into three areas: general comments, comments in relation to specific chapters, and comments concerning specific paragraphics.  

The joint working group of the CDDG and Conference of INGOs will carefully consider the comments and observations received when finalising the draft guidelines before presenting these to the CDDG for transmission to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for adoption.

You are invited to submit your comments (in English or French) on the draft guidelines to the CDDG Secretariat (CDDG@coe.int) by 4 September 2016. Your contributions are much appreciated.

For us at OGP, the revision of our co-creation guidelines will simplify and specify existing requirements, raise the bar and reward ambitionAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should “stretch government practice beyond its current baseline with respect to key areas of open government.” Ambition captures the po..., and to introduce a stronger focus on the quality of the consultation. More than before it will also provide guidance on the ongoing dialogue between government and civil society in all three phases of the OGP National 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... Cycle: NAP development, implementation and monitoring. By upgrading our guidelines, this should build on our experiences over the last couple of years and addresses most of your concerns. Stay tuned as the proposed guidelines will be coming your way for public consultation this fall and we hope to start using them in the next round of NAPs.