2024 Government Steering Committee Elections

Updated September 16, 2024

Results of the Elections

Five government seats opened on the Steering Committee (SC) on October 1, 2024, as the terms of Estonia, Morocco, Nigeria, Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom concluded. Out of these five countries, Nigeria and the Republic of Korea left the SC after having served the maximum allowed two consecutive terms. Estonia, Morocco and the United Kingdom were eligible to run for a second term.

Five governments submitted their candidacies:

• Brazil | Letter of Intent
• Estonia | Letter of Intent
• Morocco | Letter of Intent
• Philippines | Letter of Intent
• United Kingdom | Letter of Intent

The Governance & Leadership Subcommittee endorsed all five candidates, and since there were an equal number of vacant seats, voting did not take place. The Philippines and Brazil joined as new members, and Estonia, Morocco, and the United Kingdom are serving a second term. All began their three-year terms on October 1, 2024.

On October 1, 2024, the current Lead Chairs, the Government of Kenya and Blair Glencorse of Accountability Lab, handed over leadership of OGP to the Government of Spain and Cielo Mago of Bantay Kita-PWYP Philippines. The Government of Brazil and Steph Muchai of the International Lawyers Project will serve as 2025-2026 Lead Co-chairs.

About the OGP Steering Committee

The Steering Committee consists of 22 members, with parity between governments and civil society, each comprising eleven members. Members serve for a three-year term, with the possibility of serving for up to two consecutive terms (requiring re-election). Terms for all members commence on October 1 of the election year.

The role of the Steering Committee is to develop, promote and advance OGP’s strategic direction. As stewards of the Partnership, the Steering Committee utilizes the collective and individual influence of its members to garner political support for OGP, motivate and inspire the open government community towards achieving Partnership objectives, and enhance OGP’s international profile. As the central governance body, it also establishes rules and policies while safeguarding the Partnership’s values and procedures.

As advocates for the Partnership, Steering Committee members play a crucial role in promoting collective action on key thematic issues and other OGP priorities. This is achieved through active participation in high-level OGP events such as global/regional summits, often attended by ministers and Heads of State/Government, as well as other international opportunities to promote open government.

In addition to advocacy and global positioning efforts, Steering Committee members are expected to actively engage in Steering Committee and subcommittee meetings, including at ministerial level when necessary. The Steering Committee convenes at least twice annually, once at ‘working-level’ (represented by the government’s OGP point of contact) and once at ministerial level (represented by the Minister responsible for the OGP portfolio in the country). Meetings may be conducted virtually and/or in person, with additional issue-specific or opt-in briefings throughout the year.

As the leadership body of OGP, the Steering Committee is occasionally required to speak out when other OGP members fail to uphold OGP values (e.g. expressing concern regarding declining civic space), or in response to emerging crisis situations. These situations often demand a prompt response, such as issuing an official statement within days. Given the significant international aspect of the Committee’s role, governments represented on the Steering Committee are encouraged to collaborate closely with their foreign ministry counterparts and designate a focal point within their Ministry of Foreign Affairs for liaising with OGP to streamline coordination efforts. In certain situations, representatives from Foreign Ministries may also need to engage in diplomatic outreach and coordination with other foreign ministries to establish a common stance while fulfilling their governance responsibilities.

Steering Committee members are also expected to lead by example by upholding OGP values, adhering to OGP processes to co- create and implement ambitious open government reforms, and supporting OGP’s fundraising efforts, including by fulfilling their country’s financial contributions.

Criteria to run for a government seat on the Steering Committee 

In order to join the Steering Committee, according to the Articles of Governance, a country must have:

1. Improved or maintained their Core Eligibility Scores since submitting a letter of intent to join OGP;
2. Acted in accordance with the OGP Declaration (i.e. must not have an active Response Policy case open);
3. Acted in accordance with OGP processes for the most recently completed Action Plan cycle (i.e. must not have acted Contrary to Process);
4. Paid their financial contribution to OGP, as set out in Article VI.B; and
5. Complied with OGP’s minimum Participation and Co-creation Standards.

In addition to the above requirements, current government members of the Steering Committee running for re-election must have regularly attended and actively participated in meetings of the Steering Committee and its subcommittees, with ministerial-level participation where applicable.

Composition & Regional Balance of the Steering Committee

The Steering Committee is composed of 22 members (11 from national governments and 11 from civil society), with parity maintained between the two constituencies. Steering Committee members serve for a term of three years and may serve for a maximum of two consecutive terms (must be re-elected). All Steering Committee terms begin on October 1 of the year in which they are elected. The government SC composition (including the five with terms ending in 2024) is as follows:

Per the Articles of Governance, the SC should be composed of a minimum of one and a maximum of four governments from each of the four regions (Africa, Americas, Asia and Europe). For this election cycle, all regions already meet the minimum balance required. However, the maximum possible allocation per region of the five seats opening up this year is as follows: up to three from Africa; up to two from Americas; up to three from Asia-Pacific; and up to two from Europe.

Timeline for the 2024 Government Elections