Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM)

Category: OGP Governance | Back to Glossary

The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) is OGP’s accountability arm and the main means of tracking progress in participating countries. The IRM provides independent, evidence-based, and objective reporting to hold OGP participating governments accountable and support their open government efforts. This is done through reports, services and timely recommendations during key moments in the action plan cycle. The IRM is guided by, but not directly accountable to, the OGP Steering Committee. An International Experts Panel (IEP) directly oversees the IRM. Read more about the work of the IRM, including its products and process, here.

Starting with the 2020 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, the IRM now produces three products:

• Co-Creation Brief: The co-creation brief shares lessons from past action plans and international open government practice to support multi-stakeholder forums and/or governments to co-design high quality, ambitious and feasible action plan commitments. It is shared with country stakeholders before or early in the co-creation process. Learn more about co-creation briefs here.
• Action Plan Review: The action plan review is an independent, concise, technical review of the characteristics of the action plan and its strengths and challenges to inform a stronger implementation process. Action plan contents are reviewed to identify promising commitments and provide targeted recommendations on how to achieve effective implementation and results. The action plan review commences just after the action plan is submitted to OGP and is delivered to the government and/or multistakeholder forum within four months. Learn more about action plan reviews here.
• Results Report: The results report supports accountability and learning. It assesses the level of completion of action plan commitments and checks compliance with OGP standards and criteria. For example, the level of meaningful engagement and collaboration with in-country stakeholders throughout implementation. It includes insights and lessons on how change happens and the enablers or constraints in implementing promising open government reforms. Research for the results report starts after the first year of implementation. The final results report is delivered to the government and/or multistakeholder forum four months after the end of the action plan implementation period. Learn more about the results report here.

See also: International Experts Panel (IEP)As an independent body, OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) is guided by, but not directly accountable to, the OGP Steering Committee. Instead, the International Experts Panel (IEP) directly..., 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...