2019 Civil Society Steering Committee Selection

Last updated: 19 April 2019

To access past OGP Steering Committee Elections results, please click here.

Results of the 2019 Selection Process

Following a competitive selection process, we are thrilled to present the selected candidates who will serve a three-year term in the OGP Steering Committee beginning in October: Maria Baron (Directorio Legislativo), Helen Darbishire (Access Info Europe), Aidan Eyakuze (Twaweza), Elisa Peter (Publish What You Pay), and Zuzana Wienk (White Crow). In addition, in line with the criteria outlined in the Civil Society Steering Committee Mandate & Selection policy, we are pleased to present two ‘additional members’ who will support the work of the group as a whole, albeit not have voting rights in order to maintain the balance between the civil society and government constituencies of the Steering Committee: Asma Cherifi (Coordination of Francophone African Open Data Community) and Glynnis Cummings-John (Restless Development). Learn more about this role here.

Accountability on the process

All candidates were individually ranked by the Selection Committee using seven criteria (outlined in the Mandate and Selection of the Civil Society Steering Committee) that covered experience in and ability to engage politically and strategically and representation of civil society at all levels. In addition, the Selection Committee looked at each candidate’s track-record of working on open government and related cross-cutting themes, as well as engagement with open government networks.

The Selection Committee consisted of two members from the current civil society Steering Committee (Robin Hodess, The B-Team; and Suneeta Kaimal, NRGI); two volunteers from the broader OGP civil society community (Julia Keutgen, Westminster Foundation for Democracy; and Stephanie Muchai, HIVOS), and a representative from the OGP Support Unit (Paul Maassen, Chief, Country Support).

This initial assessment – derived from the application materials submitted by each candidate – provided the basis for a Selection Committee discussion on all candidates. In that conversation the Selection Committee also looked at other factors including diversity across open government issues, regions, and gender. This process yielded a shortlist of 11 candidates.

The Selection Committee interviewed all shortlisted candidates to learn more about their motivation to join the Steering Committee, their ideas for OGP and their ability to articulate core open government issues. During the interviews, candidates had a chance to weigh in on some of the most pressing challenges being faced by civil society globally, and share their perspective on how they would leverage their potential Steering Committee role to respond to these.

Outreach efforts to keep the wider community informed at each step of the selection process were done through social media, the OGP website and the civil society mailing list (Dgroups). There were also numerous opportunities to actively participate throughout the process. For example, we received close to 60 comments/endorsements on the long list of candidates during the public comment period (see non-attributed comments and edorsements here) and held two public webinars where each shortlisted candidate presented to the community their candidacy and motivations to join the OGP Steering Committee.

For the final decision, the Selection Committee took into consideration all factors of the process, including the ranking and scores from the first round, diversity (gender, regional, thematic expertise), added value to the Steering Committee, strength of application materials, as well as webinar and interview performance. After a very difficult and thorough process, the Selection Committee arrived at a final decision which was endorsed by the Civil Society Steering Committee.

Below, you will find the full list of candidates along with their application materials and initial assessment scores awarded to them by the Selection Committee.

What 2019 has in store

First and most practically, OGP will be looking to advance its goals through the 45+ OGP participants who will be co-creating an open government plan.  Beyond that, highlights for 2019 will include the second Open Gov Week (focusing on inclusion) in March; the sixth Global OGP Summit in Ottawa in May; the launch of the first Open Government Flagship report; and the Gender and Inclusion campaign.  Additionally, the OGP Trust Fund will support a second round of co-creation grants, alongside a first round of implementation grants.

The Steering Committee will be asked to help support delivery of the overall partnership strategy.  Key areas of focus for 2019 will include the development of the strategy for the next phase of the open local government work (“OGP Local“), the next phase of the IRM Refresh, and thematic priorities like anti-corruption, civic space, public service delivery and digital governance.

Mandate and Selection of the Civil Society Steering Committee

The OGP Steering Committee is the executive, decision-making body of the initiative. The main role of the Steering Committee – as outlined in its Articles of Governance – is to develop, promote and safeguard the values, principles and interests of OGP.

The eleven civil society members of the OGP Steering Committee have further specified their key responsibilities as follows:

• To perform the international governance role for OGP in the Steering Committee;
• To represent the concerns and interests of the global OGP civil society community in the Steering Committee.

Beyond this, individual Steering Committee members are expected to take on a subset of the additional responsibilities that build on their specific skills and experience.  These skills also serve as the selection criteria for civil society Steering Committee members.

The four required criteria are as follows:

1. Strong track record in powerfully and clearly articulating core open government issues, including at high level global and regional (political) fora;
2. Proven ability to canvas and represent the interests of the civil society community with government or at multistakeholder fora;
3. Demonstrable experience in strategically engaging with senior government and civil society members and exercising sound political judgment;
4. Extensive leadership experience in civil society and recognition as a respected and legitimate actor in national, regional and/or global civil society networks.

For the full set of selection criteria, please consult the Civil Society Steering Committee Mandate & Selection policy.

The 2019 Rotation

The OGP Steering Committee will be looking to fill five Civil Society seats as of October 2019.  This rotation process aims to be a transparent one that seeks to attract capable candidates from a diversity of regions and backgrounds, with the goal of establishing a balanced team of 11 civil society Steering Committee members who provide strategic and effective leadership to OGP.

In addition, the civil society Steering Committee members may suggest appointing up to two ‘additional members’ who would be invited to participate in meetings, but who would not have voting rights.

As we strive for a balanced team of civil society representatives, diversity will be taken into account across a range of factors (including gender, geographical location, type of experience/organisation, expertise on OGP issues and skills).  OGP further aims for a balance between representatives with global or national profiles to ensure that civil society organisations of diverse mandates and scope are represented.  For this rotation, we are especially looking for women candidates and/or civil society leaders from Latin America and Africa.  We further encourage candidates with expertise in OGP’s core priority thematic areas (anti-corruption, public services, inclusion and civic space) and youth leaders to apply.

Next steps and Timeline

The selection of these new members takes place through a transparent and participatory process that invites inputs from OGP’s civil society community and creates opportunities for engagement at each step.  The specific steps of that process are outlined below:

• December 20th – February 1st: Call for nominations & Call for Selection Committee volunteers (closed)
• February 6th – February 20th: Public comments
• February 25th – March 4th: Shortlisting process
• March 4th – March 15th: Interviews & webinars with shortlisted candidates
• March 18th – April 1st: Final selection
• April 4th – April 14th: Endorsement by the OGP Steering Committee
• April 15th – April 19th: Communication of decisions back to the community

Nominations for the Civil Society Steering Committee positions are submitted by sending the following to rotation@opengovpartnership.org (please note you may nominate yourself or someone else):

• A CV (max 4 pages)
• A cover letter explaining a) your (or the candidate you are nominating) motivation for joining, b) open government experience/skills, with preference in OGP’s core priority thematic areas (anti-corruption, public services, inclusion and civic space) c) highlight demonstrated track record in global level leadership, articulation and strategy. Please refer to the qualifications and criteria listed in this document. (max 2 pages).
• One strong example of a video, blog, article or piece of writing by the candidate, that reflects the candidate’s thinking and articulation on open government and civil society issues.

Candidates for the volunteer position on the Selection Committee are invited to send a short letter explaining their motivations and qualifications to serve to rotation@opengovpartnership.org by 1 February 2019.  Full details on the composition and role of the Selection Committee can be found here.