About the Steering Committee
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.
Leadership and Subcommittee Structure
The Steering Committee has three standing subcommittees to support its work, the Leadership Subcommittee, the Criteria and Standards Subcommittee (C&S) and the Programmatic Delivery Subcommittee (PDS). Each subcommittee is comprised of an equal number of government and civil society representatives drawn from the Steering Committee.
The Steering Committee is led by a pair of co-chairs, one from government and one from civil society, who are part of a leadership troika comprising the current, incoming, and outgoing co-chairs. The co-chairs are elected by the 22 members of the Steering Committee and serve a three-year term beginning on October 1 of the year in which they are elected. The co-chairs make up the Leadership Subcommittee.
Learn more about the composition of the Steering Committee and its subcommittees here.
Learn about the Steering Committee’s collaboration with OGP’s Board of Directors here.