Turkey made inactive in the Open Government Partnership

*** For Immediate Release ***

New York City, September 21, 2016 – The Steering Committee of the Open Government Partnership today resolved that Turkey will be regretfully designated as inactive in OGP, having failed to deliver a National Action Plan since 2014 . It is the first time that OGP has placed a country in inactive status for acting contrary to OGP process for two consecutive 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... cycles. 

The decision follows a resolution approved unanimously by the OGP Steering CommitteeThe Steering Committee is OGP’s executive decision-making body. Its role is to develop, promote and safeguard OGP’s values, principles and interests; establish OGP’s core ideas, policies, and ru... during their May 4, 2016 ministerial level meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. That resolution called for the government of Turkey to take steps to re-engage in OGP to avoid being automatically placed in inactive status. The requested steps included developing a National Action with broad civil society participation by September 1st, 2016.  

The government of Turkey will have a maximum of one year to a publish a National Action Plan developed with citizens and civil society. For the next year, Turkey will be labeled as inactive, will be ineligible to vote in OGP electionsImproving transparency in elections and maintaining the independence of electoral commissions is vital for promoting trust in the electoral system, preventing electoral fraud, and upholding the democr... and will only be able to attend OGP events as an observer for learning purposes. It will continue to receive Steering Committee and Support UnitThe OGP Support Unit is a small, permanent group of staff that work closely with the Steering Committee and the Independent Reporting Mechanism to advance the goals of the Open Government Partnership.... assistance, including from OGP Working Groups, multilateral partners and peer exchange visits. After one year the OGP Steering Committee will review any progress made and decide on the next steps. 

The terms for Preventing Inactive Status, as outlined in the May 4, 2016 resolution, were: 

• The government of Turkey will identify both a Ministerial lead and Point of Contact to lead the development of proposals and engagement with civil society for a National Action Plan. 
• By May 31, 2016, the government of Turkey will produce a publicly available plan to produce a National Action Plan, which includes the timeline of key moments, meetings, and process, including ways for civil society to participate and co-create. 
• The government of Turkey will collaborate with the OGP Support Unit to organize a visit during the drafting period, which will include a comprehensive public meeting with civil society organizations. 
• The government of Turkey will follow through on its promise to complete a National Action Plan by no later than September 1, 2016.

Notes to editors:

Background on OGP rules on country participation:
During their April 22, 2015 meeting, the Steering Committee unanimously adopted a resolution to clarify rules related to country participation in OGP. This resolution recognized that “all OGP participating governmentsOGP participating countries and locals – often referred to as OGP members – are committed to working with civil society to strengthen their adherence to open government values. To join OGP as a pa... should be producing new National Action Plans every two years, and that in some circumstances governments that are unable to fulfill all of their obligations under the Articles of GovernanceThe OGP Articles of Governance establish the mandate and high-level policies of the Partnership, including the Steering Committee, the Support Unit, and the Independent Reporting Mechanism. They also ... should be considered for inactive status until they take steps to re-engage in OGP.”

For more information about today’s resolution see the Steering Committee’s Resolution on Turkey’s Participation in OGP, May 4, 2016.

About OGP:
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) is a unique multilateral initiative aimed at securing concrete commitments from governments to promote 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, increase civic participation, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to make governments more open, effective, and accountable to citizens around the world.

OGP was formally launched on September 20, 2011, at the sidelines of a UN General Assembly meeting, when eight heads of state,along with an equal number of civil society leaders, endorsed the Open Government Declaration and published the first cohort of OGP National Action Plans with specific open government reform commitments. OGP has since grown to include 69 governments (representing a third of the world’s population), seven multilateral bodies and hundreds of civil society organizations. OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) holds governments accountable for their commitments by producing thorough, impartial reports that track progress on National Action Plans.

MEDIA CONTACT:

For questions or to set up interviews, please contact: 

In New York: Dietlind Lerner, communications director
dietlind.lerner@opengovepartnership.org 

In Washington DC: Rachel Ostrow, communications officer
rachel.ostrow@opengovpartnership.org