2022 Civil Society Steering Committee Selection

Updated September 28, 2022

Overview

The OGP Steering Committee looked to fill three Civil Society Steering Committee seats on October 1, 2022, as the terms of Helen Darbishire, Elisa Peter and Zuzana Wienk came to a close.

Results of the 2022 Selection Process

A call for candidates to fill the three Civil Society Steering Committee seats was launched in February 2022. 30 applications were received and reviewed by the Selection Committee. Following a thorough selection process, we are pleased to announce that Barbara Schreiner (Water Integrity Network), Natalia Carfi (Open Data Charter) and Eka Gigauri (Transparency International Georgia) will join the OGP Steering Committee starting October 1, 2022. They will serve on the Steering Committee for three years. In addition, in line with the Civil Society Mandate and Selection, Amitabh Behar (Oxfam India) has been nominated as the official runner-up, who will automatically join the Steering Committee should a spot open up during the coming year.

Learn more about the selection process and see the full list of candidates and application materials here.

Criteria and process to run for a Civil Society seat on the Steering Committee

Each civil society member of the Steering Committee needs to fulfill the two key responsibilities listed in the mandate:

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

For more details on the functions of the Steering Committee, please refer to the OGP Articles of Governance.

Civil society members are selected and serve in their individual capacity. To ensure the highest standards of work, we are looking for candidates that model OGP principles by practicing high levels of openness, integrity and accountability.

The working language of the SC is English and all members must be proficient. We expect members to dedicate up to ½ day a week to OGP – with intensity increasing around SC and OGP meetings. Members should be available to travel internationally to represent OGP at high-level meetings, including up to two mandatory in-person SC meeting(s) per year.

The skills outlined below serve as the selection criteria and will be scored as per the scoring criteria table in the Annex of the Civil Society Steering Committee Mandate and Selection.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Advocacy: Strong track record in powerfully and clearly articulating core open government issues, including at global and regional (political) fora;
• Representation: Proven ability to canvas and represent the interests of the civil society community with government or at multistakeholder fora;
• Political Acumen: Demonstrable experience in strategically engaging with senior government and civil society members and exercising sound political judgment;
• Leadership: Noteworthy leadership experience in civil society and recognition as a respected and legitimate actor in national, regional, and/or global civil society networks;

Desired:

• Sound technical expertise and strong track record in influencing policy processes and partnering with government – and proven ability to draw on that experience to support national (OGP) processes beyond their own country;
• Provide an informed international perspective on core open government issues to leverage global standards and/or partners;
• Track record as an effective board member, preferably with demonstrable experience chairing (sub)board meetings;
• Strong interpersonal skills (e.g. excellent communication skills, ability to exercise good judgment, thoughtful interactions with others)

With the above in mind, please note that:

• Candidates may be nominated by an organization or network, or may nominate themselves. The organizations/networks that the nominated candidates are affiliated with could be national, regional or global. However this does not mean that the candidates represent the affiliate in particular.
• Since SC members serve in their individual rather than organizational capacity, should a member leave the SC before their term ends, no presumption would be made that their replacement will come from the same entity.
• CS SC members will declare their financial and non-financial interests, apart from those which could not potentially lead to or be perceived as a conflict of interest. These declarations of interest will be made publicly available. Where there are personal safety or similar serious concerns about full publicity, parts or even the whole of the declaration should be submitted to the CEO, who will hold it and act upon it as appropriate, in confidence.
• Civil society comes in many definitions and flavors across the world, which is why OGP never adopted a formal definition of our own. However, for selecting suitable representatives of the community, the Selection Committee is provided with some guidance on who in principle would not be eligible to join to avoid potential conflicts of interest. Namely candidates working for:
  • Donors/Funders
  • Government/ Parliament/ Judiciary/ Semi-autonomous bodies (e.g. state auditor, ombudsman, etc.)
  • Multilateral organization or OGP-like platforms
  • OGP (employees or consultants)
  • Private sector

SC Co-Chair selection process

Steering Committee leadership consists of a revolving four-member co-chairmanship team (two from government and two from civil society) elected by members of the SC. The four co-chairs make up the Governance and Leadership Subcommittee (GL). SC co-chairs serve for a two-year term, with the first year as ‘incoming’ and the second as ‘lead’ chairs. The current co-chairs are the government of Italy and Aidan Eyakuze of Twaweza (Lead co-chairs), and the government of Estonia and Anabel Cruz of ICD Uruguay (Incoming co-chairs).

All SC members, including newly elected, may run to serve as co-chairs. New Co-Chairs to follow Estonia and Anabel Cruz will begin as an Incoming Co-Chair, and assume the role of Lead Chairs for one year on October 1, 2023.

The deadline to submit candidacy for Civil Society Co-Chair has been extended to Q2 2023.

Timeline and Process for the 2022 Civil Society rotation

The selection of new members is undertaken by a Selection Committee and 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 2022 Selection Committee consisted of two members from the current civil society Steering Committee (Anabel Cruz, ICD Uruguay; and Blair Glencorse, Accountability Lab), two volunteers from the broader OGP civil society community (Romina Damini, IOM; and Laura Neuman, Carter Center), and a representative from the OGP Support Unit (Paul Maassen, Chief, Country Support).

For any questions on the process or timeline, please contact bianca.nelson@opengovpartnership.org.