Twelve Governments Competing to Lead the Open Government Partnership

WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 21, 2017 – Governments from around the world have submitted applications to help lead the global movement for open governance as 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) 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... members. OGP is a positive global movement for openness and deeper democracy, and a countervailing force against the rise in populism, closing of civic space and distrust in government.

Countries that applied to leadership positions in the OGP Steering Committee are Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Canada, Italy, Mongolia, Nigeria, Paraguay, Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, and Sri Lanka. Four of these governments will be elected to serve three year terms. The OGP 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 ... require 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... to vote to elect new government representatives to the Steering Committee each year. To prevent a tie, countries are asked to rank their preferences.

OGP has led the charge for open governance and citizen-centered democracy for over five years, promoting cooperation and collaboration between governments and civil society to create policy for the people, by the people.

As the executive, decision-making body of OGP, the Steering Committee’s main role is to develop, promote and safeguard the values, principles and interests of OGP. The Steering Committee also establishes the core ideas, policies, and rules of the partnership, and oversees its functioning. The Steering Committee consists of 22 members – 11 from government and 11 from civil society. This is the fourth rotation of the OGP Steering Committee since OGP was launched in September 2011.

The representative of the current government co-chair, France, Secretary of State for State Reform and Simplification Jean-Vincent Placé, said, “We are delighted that so many Governments are standing for election to be leaders in OGP. Joining the OGP Steering Committee is a great opportunity for global leaders 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. By working with other world leaders and sharing their experiences and expertise, OGP helps strengthen open government at the global, regional and national level.”

OGP CEO Sanjay Pradhan spoke to the need for OGP to have strong leadership in an uncertain geopolitical landscape. “The 2017 election for new members of the OGP Steering Committee is a critical phase in the evolution of open government. 2017 is a milestone year for OGP as it faces challenges to democratic norms around the world and enters a new phase in its work through a strategic refresh. Now more than ever, governments need to reaffirm their 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 open government principles. The OGP Steering Committee provides an unparalleled platform to do so.  We look forward to the all participating OGP governments electing the most meritorious candidates to lead our vital movement.”

The Steering Committee applicants will be voted on by all OGP governments from February 22- March 15. Final results will be announced March 15th. New Steering Committee members begin their rotation on October 1st.

ENDS

 About OGP:

OGP was formally launched on September 20, 2011, on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly meeting, when eight heads of state, along with nine civil society leaders, endorsed the Open Government Declaration and published the first cohort of OGP National Action Plans.

Today OGP is composed of 75 national governments, 15 subnational governments, seven multilateral organizations, and thousands of civil society organizations who together have made over 3,000 commitments towards open government reforms to promote transparency, increase civic participation, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to make governments more open, effective, and accountable to citizens around the world.

For more information about how Open Government Partnership works visit our website or read our brochure, like us onFacebook, follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our Newsletter and Gazette or watch our films 5 Years of OGP and The Story of OGP.

For questions or to set up interviews please contact:

Madaleine Weber, mweber@opengovpartnership.org

Further information about the OGP Steering Committee elections, schedule, eligibility criteria can be found here.