Open government: a solid step towards peace agreements

Carleton University undergraduate students in Ottawa, Canada, are studying the link between communication and open government. In the class, the students examine how communication can be used to improve governance and to foster a more collaborative relationship between governments and citizens. This series of blog posts is related to a range of topics concerning the issues that challenge open government. These posts will appear on the OGP blog over the coming weeks. We hope you enjoy them.

If you are new to the concept of “Open Government”, it’s easy to question what  benefits a country could gain in joining 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). Besides the international recognition and reputation for trustworthiness, governments and nations can achieve real and tangible results from this initiative. I would like to explore how these benefits were made clear in the case of Colombia, whose participation in OGP, benefited and facilitated, to a certain extent, the peace agreement process that is being implemented between the ruling government and The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) after a half century of conflict.

In the case of Colombia, The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia were born under a socio political situation where  the needs of some of its citizens at a time of severe corruption, economic crisis and political instability. When the government of Colombia responded to the call of the OGP movement, it indirectly sent a message to the  FARC. Joining OGP underscored that the government’s interests toward popular well-being, as well as its commitment to transparency and its determination to fight internal and external corruption not only by providing information but also by prosecuting and sanctioning government representatives who worked against the system. The government of Colombia opened up a dialogue among victims, victimizers and mediators about the process on victims’ restoration and arrangements for prosecution. Finally, the government invoked a referendum and plebiscite to establish a democracy (see media coverage of these two proposals. This move allowed citizens to vote and express their opinions on the process. Furthermore, online platforms were created  so that Colombians could  follow the process in real time.

I personally think that, thanks to all of these national and international mediations, the members of the FARC agreed to discuss with the government and sign the document that ended this war. It was a rare instance in which – after many attempts – diplomatic and political intentions coincided. In addition, we saw how advances in technology and social media contributed to the fair participation of regular citizens  and the effective flow of information.

In conclusion, Colombia’s current situation and its progress in embarking on the first step of a peace agreement between ordinary citizens and revolutionary forces represents one of the tangible results that can come from OGP participation. Colombia is a country which has suffered a civil war for more than 50 years to the detriment of its social and economic welfare. Now, a turning point seems to have been reached that is positive and favorable for the majority of citizens. The international attention and recognition of this achievement is huge and has greatly improved the country’s international standing. As a result, Juan Manuel Santos, the President of Colombia, has received the Nobel Peace Prize for 2016 for his outstanding role and leadership.

For a long time, other international governments and institutions have attempted to mediate a peace agreement, but it was not until this year that such an achievement became an imminent reality. The OGP initiative serves as a political and administrative strategy that encourages multiple governments to make agreements and their responsibilities; in this particular case, it lead an entire country to talk about the possibility of peace. Now that Colombia’s government has illustrated its 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 openness, we will have to wait and see if the rest of the country follows suit.