Netherlands Action Plan Review 2023-2027 – For Public Comment

In 2024, the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM)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 ... published the 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... Review for the Netherlands’ fifth action plan. The report provides a technical review of the action plan’s characteristics and the strengths and challenges the IRM identifies to inform a stronger implementation process.

In the Netherlands, the IRM’s findings are summarized below:

The Netherlands’ fifth action plan focuses on government transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More. In particular, it includes promising efforts to improve government information management and transparency of the central government’s procurement plans. The ambitionAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should “stretch government practice beyond its current baseline with respect to key areas of open government.” Ambition captures the po... of the plan could be improved by taking full advantage of the new four-year implementation period, and by including a greater focus on citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More and accountability. The co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive... was driven by a newly formed coalition, which included active civil society engagement.

The public comment period ended 24 September 2024.