Support Openness and Transparency Initiatives Around the World (CA0059)

Support Openness and Transparency Initiatives around the World Why do this: To ensure that the global open government movement is not restricted to the wealthiest or most technologically advanced governments, it is important to ensure that Canada continues to support peer knowledge exchange and capacity-building efforts. Citizens of all nations can benefit both socially and economically from open government, regardless of who they are or where they live. How will it be done: Under Canada’s first two Action Plans, steps were taken to ensure greater transparency and quality of Canada’s international aid data. Canada worked with partners in the Open Data for Development (OD4D) network to build capacity around the world for ambitious open government initiatives to benefit citizens. By expanding these initiatives, and undertaking new leadership roles in support of the Open Government Partnership and the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), Canada can help ensure citizens around the world have access to government information and opportunities to engage in public affairs. This will also facilitate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.

18. Support Openness and Transparency Initiatives around the World

Commitment Text:

The Government of Canada will work with international partners to increase the transparency of international development funding, and to share skills and knowledge with developing countries to ensure that everyone can reap the benefits of open government.

Milestones:

18.1. Endorse the Open Government Partnership’s Joint Declaration on Open Government for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and leverage Canada’s participation in the OGP to help support the declaration’s commitments.

18.2. Leverage Canada’s role as chair of the International Aid Transparency Initiative to support international good practices on aid transparency and greater interoperability among data standards (e.g., aid, public procurement, public accounts, corporate identifiers) to enable greater accountability and improve the effectiveness of development finance.

18.3. Provide training and peer-learning to at least 500 open data leaders in government and civil society in developing countries, provide technical assistance to at least 10 developing countries, increasing the quality and ambition of their open data policies, and assess how capacity-building activities affect communities.

18.4. Work with international organizations and partners in developing countries to implement innovative open data projects with impact on anti-corruption, local governance, health, and education.

18.5. In support of Canada’s role as a partner in the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN):

• Increase the amount of high-value, reusable agriculture and nutrition data made available to Canadians in open formats under the Government of Canada’s open licence; and

• Participate in the planning of the GODAN Summit in September 2016 in order to support the global agenda for opening agriculture and nutrition data around the world.

Responsible institutions: Global Affairs Canada; the International Development Research Centre; Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Supporting institutions: Open Government Partnership; International Aid Transparency Initiative; Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition; Open Data for Development and associated networks

Start date: Not specified

End date: Not specified

Editorial Note: The text of the commitment was abridged for formatting reasons. For full commitment text, visit: http://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2001/01/Canada_AP3.pdf.

Context and Objectives

The government’s self-assessment states that the purpose of this commitment is to equip global governments and civil society with 'the knowledge, tools, and expertise needed to support greater public access to open data and information.'[Note150: Canada’s Third Biennial Plan to the Open Government Partnership 2016-2018 Mid-term Self-assessment Report, September 2017, https://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2001/01/Canada_Mid-Term_Self-Assessment_2016-2018_EN.pdf, pg. 56. ] Although international collaboration is a main feature of the Open Government Partnership, OGP action plans are typically meant to focus domestically, rather than building other countries’ open government initiatives. Nonetheless, there are aspects of this commitment, particularly milestones 18.1 and 18.5, which have the potential to create a significant positive impact on Canada’s own openness. Moreover, international collaborations, as described in milestones 18.2 and 18.4, can have an ancillary positive impact on Canada, by developing new skills in implementing transparency policies and spurring creative thinking in how to solve challenges to openness. The milestones are reasonably specific, including several tangible benchmarks for success, and listing specific initiatives that Canada will join. However, in assessing the commitment, stakeholders at the IRM Halifax consultation noted that it was relatively modest as far as government development initiatives go and encouraged the government to think more ambitiously if outward-facing commitments are included in future action plans.[Note151: This consultation took place on 12 September 2017.] Some examples cited by the participants were to consider a scale larger than just 500 open data leaders (a relatively modest footprint for a global project), and to export Canadian expertise on access to information, particularly through connecting developing country officials with staff at the Office of the Information Commissioner.

Completion

For Milestone 18.1, consultation with the Treasury Board Secretariat’s Open Government team indicated that they consider the action plan itself to be an endorsement of the Joint Declaration on Open Government for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, since the latter no longer includes a formal mechanism for endorsement (this was confirmed with OGP staff). In terms of follow through, the Treasury Board cites ongoing support for the International Open Data Charter and work with Global Affairs Canada to integrate open government principles into Canada’s implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and reporting. This could be considered substantial progress given the relatively vague and open-ended nature of the milestone.

Canada was elected the chair of the International Aid Transparency Initiative in March 2016. Over the course of the first year of this action plan, there were several developments including recruiting the World Health Organization,[Note152: See: http://www.aidtransparency.net/news/world-health-organization-becomes-a-new-iati-publisher.] the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,[Note153: See: http://www.aidtransparency.net/news/fao-publishes-to-iati. ] USAID,[Note154: See: http://www.aidtransparency.net/news/usaid. ] the International Organization for Migration,[Note155: See: http://www.aidtransparency.net/news/international-organization-for-migration-joins-iati. ] the Netherlands Enterprise Agency,[Note156: See: http://www.aidtransparency.net/news/netherlands-enterprise-agency-becomes-an-iati-member. ] the International Finance Corporation,[Note157: See: http://www.aidtransparency.net/news/ifc-joins-iati. ] Agence Française de Développement,[Note158: See: http://www.aidtransparency.net/news/agence-francaise-de-developpement-becomes-a-member-of-iati. ] and the Republic of Korea.[Note159: See: http://www.aidtransparency.net/news/republic-of-korea-becomes-iatis-latest-publisher. ] Global Affairs Canada also launched a new Project Browser that provides access to its IATI data in a bilingual interface.[Note160: See: http://w05.international.gc.ca/projectbrowser-banqueprojets/?lang=eng. ] In September 2017, IATI expanded and improved its search portal.[Note161: See: http://www.aidtransparency.net/news/new-d-portal-search-features-to-improve-data-use. ] This is substantial progress toward completion for Milestone 18.2.

Open Data for Development (OD4D) conducted a range of activities during the first year of implementation related to Milestone 18.3, including a series of trainings through the School of Data training program,[Note162: Reporting for the trainings is available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_DxOK_q_jdweWwzamhRR3RxQ0E/view.] an Organization of American States training for 79 participants from 10 countries,[Note163: Reporting available (in Spanish) at: http://od4d.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/OAS-Jan-2017-Informe-Tecnico-Final-F.pdf.] and additional leadership support activities as part of a broader project across the global south.[Note164: Reporting available at: http://od4d.net/result/odi-final-technical-report-2016-strengthening-southern-open-data-leadership/.] This represents substantial progress toward completion, though it is difficult to see positive impacts on open government in Canada flowing from the deliverable as it is being executed.

Regarding Milestone 18.4, the Treasury Board and the International Development Research Centre cite several projects, including the Edo AgriHub in Nigeria,[Note165: 'Impact Series: Using Open Data for Economic Impact in Nigeria,' Open Data for Development, 7 June 2017. Available at: od4d.net/impact-series-using-open-data-for-economic-impact-in-nigeria/.] the Agriculture Open Data Package,[Note166: 'Result - Introducing the Agriculture Open Data Package – BETA version,' Open Data for Development, 24 April 2017. Available at: od4d.net/result/introducing-the-agriculture-open-data-package-beta-version/.] the Open Data Charter’s Open Up Guide for Corruption,[Note167: 'Open Up Guide: Using Open Data to Combat Corruption,' Open Data Charter, 18 May 2017. Available at: https://opendatacharter.net/resource/open-guide-using-open-data-combat-corruption/.] and a document on open data for climate change.[Note168: Available at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D_Hz7o4h6ZyHxJpCgZ54UUM-BcM-YSM-zxb0JIW9h4Y/edit.] This represents substantial progress toward this milestone’s completion, though again it is difficult to see direct benefits for Canadian openness as a result of this work.

For Milestone 18.5, according to the government’s self-assessment, 58 new datasets from Agriculture and Agri-food Canada were released onto the open data portal.[Note169: See: http://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset?organization=aafc-aac.] Open Data for Development, supported by International Development Research Centre, presented a session at the GODAN Summit, though this does not quite align with the milestone of participating in the Summit’s planning. As a result, the IRM researcher assesses progress toward implementation as limited, rather than substantial.

Overall, the commitment is on schedule to be completed.

Next Steps

There are many excellent projects which have occurred because of Canada’s support for Open Data for Development; these projects have had a strong impact on open data across the global south. However, there remains a question as to whether externally-focused work should be included in Canada’s action plan, since impact on open government in Canada will be negligible. This is an appropriate approach to Canada’s foreign aid planning, which should target external goals rather than prioritising projects which benefit Canadians. However, it is unclear whether this is the right approach for an open government action plan commitment.

Without discouraging this programming, if the government seeks to cite it in future OGP action plans, the IRM researcher recommends that projects have a more tangible connection to Canada with participation of Canadian agencies beyond the IDRC’s funding and oversight role. For example, Milestone 18.5 includes active collaboration with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. In response to queries from the IRM researcher, IDRC provided a list of projects they funded which included the integration of a role for Canadian government entities, including the ConDatos event in Costa Rica[Note170: See: https://condatos.org/.] and Red GEALC, a Network of e-Government Leaders of Latin America and the Caribbean.[Note171: See: http://www.redgealc.net/ (in Spanish).]

18. Support Openness and Transparency Initiatives around the World

Commitment Text:

The Government of Canada will work with international partners to increase the transparency of international development funding, and to share skills and knowledge with developing countries to ensure that everyone can reap the benefits of open government.

Milestones:

18.1. Endorse the Open Government Partnership's Joint Declaration on Open Government for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and leverage Canada's participation in the OGP to help support the declaration's commitments.

18.2. Leverage Canada's role as chair of the International Aid Transparency Initiative to support international good practices on aid transparency and greater interoperability among data standards (e.g., aid, public procurement, public accounts, corporate identifiers) to enable greater accountability and improve the effectiveness of development finance.

18.3. Provide training and peer-learning to at least 500 open data leaders in government and civil society in developing countries, provide technical assistance to at least 10 developing countries, increasing the quality and ambition of their open data policies, and assess how capacity-building activities affect communities.

18.4. Work with international organizations and partners in developing countries to implement innovative open data projects with impact on anti-corruption, local governance, health, and education.

18.5. In support of Canada's role as a partner in the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN):

•Increase the amount of high-value, reusable agriculture and nutrition data made available to Canadians in open formats under the Government of Canada's open licence; and

•Participate in the planning of the GODAN Summit in September 2016 in order to support the global agenda for opening agriculture and nutrition data around the world.

Responsible institutions:Global Affairs Canada; the International Development Research Centre; Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Supporting institutions: Open Government Partnership; International Aid Transparency Initiative; Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition; Open Data for Development and associated networks

Start Date: Not specified

End Date: Not specified

Editorial Note: The text of the commitment was abridged for formatting reasons. For full commitment text, visit http://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2001/01/Canada_AP3.pdf.

Commitment Aim

This commitment aimed to equip global governments and civil society with the knowledge, tools, and expertise to support greater public access to open data and information. The commitment intended to achieve this through several international development mechanisms and programmes, including:

•The OGP Joint Declaration on Open Government for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

•The International Aid Transparency Initiative;

•A package of international open data training programmes in 10 countries;

•Open data programming related to anti-corruption, local governance, health, and education; and

•The Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition partnership.

Status

Midterm: Substantial

As of the midterm assessment, Canada had endorsed the Joint Declaration on Open Government for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The government had also moved to support the Open Data Charter and to integrate open government principles into Canada's implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and reporting (18.1). Under Milestone 18.2, Canada executed many activities as part of its leadership of the International Aid Transparency Initiative. These activities included recruiting new participants and enhancing the data accessibility of Global Affairs Canada through the new Project Browser and search portal.[Note150: See “Project Browser,” Government of Canada, http://w05.international.gc.ca/projectbrowser-banqueprojets/?lang=eng; and “New d-Portal Search Features to Improve Data Use,” International Aid Transparency Initiative, http://www.aidtransparency.net/news/new-d-portal-search-features-to-improve-data-use.] The Open Data for Development (OD4D) served as the main vehicle for programming under Milestone 18.3. OD4D carried out a series of trainings through the School of Data training programme.[Note151: Reporting for the trainings is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_DxOK_q_jdweWwzamhRR3RxQ0E/view.] It also conducted an Organisation of American States training for 79 participants from 10 countries[Note152: Reporting available in Spanish at http://od4d.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/OAS-Jan-2017-Informe-Tecnico-Final-F.pdf.] and additional leadership support activities as part of a broader project across the Global South.[Note153: Reporting available at http://od4d.net/result/odi-final-technical-report-2016-strengthening-southern-open-data-leadership/.]

The government's self-assessment cited several projects in connection with Milestone 18.4. These included the Edo AgriHub in Nigeria,[Note154: 'Impact Series: Using Open Data for Economic Impact in Nigeria,' Open Data for Development, 7 June 2017, od4d.net/impact-series-using-open-data-for-economic-impact-in-nigeria/. ] the Agriculture Open Data Package,[Note155: 'Result—Introducing the Agriculture Open Data Package—BETA version,' Open Data for Development, 24 April 2017, od4d.net/result/introducing-the-agriculture-open-data-package-beta-version/.] the Open Data Charter's Open Up Guide for Corruption,[Note156: 'Open Up Guide: Using Open Data to Combat Corruption,' Open Data Charter, 18 May 2017, https://opendatacharter.net/resource/open-guide-using-open-data-combat-corruption/.] and a document on open data for climate change.[Note157: Available at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D_Hz7o4h6ZyHxJpCgZ54UUM-BcM-YSM-zxb0JIW9h4Y/edit.] Under Milestone 18.5, the government released 58 new datasets from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada onto the open data portal, and OD4D presented a session at the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition summit. However, this latter action does not quite align with the milestone language, which calls for participation in the summit's planning. According to the end-of-term self-assessment, the government did not participate in planning because it was too late in offering these resources.

End of term: Substantial

The government completed all of the milestones for this commitment, except participation in the planning of the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) summit.

Canada became a supporting co-chair of OGP Steering Committee on 1 October 2017. Its end-of-term self-assessment includes several priorities that Canada will aim to promote as part of this role. These priorities include gender equality and better tracking of programming results.[Note158: The self-assessment is available at https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/9da9faf5-deb1-48db-8f16-91055d942d65.] Under 18.2, the self-assessment points to Canada's role in chairing the 2017 International Aid Transparency Initiative's Members' Assembly. This role included advancing the publication of data published by organisations working in the development sector.[Note159: See “Membership,” International Aid Transparency Initiative, https://www.aidtransparency.net/governance/members-assembly/annual-members-assembly-meeting; and “Annual Reports,” International Aid Transparency Initiative, http://iatistandard.org/en/about/governance/annual-reports/.] Under Milestone 18.3, the self-assessment highlighted the International Development Research Centre's support for the 2017 Francophone African Conference on Open Data and Open Government as a major deliverable.[Note160: See “#CAFDO2017: The First Francophone African Conference on Open Data and Open Government,” Open Government Partnership, 15 June 2017, https://www.opengovpartnership.org/stories/cafdo2017-first-francophone-african-conference-on-open-data-and-open-government.] The assessment also noted the training and peer-learning opportunities provided to over 900 open data leaders in government and civil society in developing countries. In addition, the report noted the trainings and peer-learning opportunities provided to 14 governments through the Open Data for Development (OD4D) hubs. The details of these engagements were provided to the IRM researcher. OD4D also supported a session on best practices at the 2018 OGP Global Summit in Georgia. OD4D has also signed a memorandum of understanding with OGP to lead its strategic partnership on open data.[Note161: See “Open Government Partnership and the Open Data for Development Network Join Forces to Support Open Data Initiatives around the World,” Open Government Partnership, 10 May 2018, https://www.opengovpartnership.org/stories/open-government-partnership-and-open-data-development-network-join-forces-support-open-data.]

Under Milestone 18.4, the end-of-term self-assessment points to the development of three “open up packages”; support to five scaled applications in health, anti-corruption, and open education; and many other pilot projects.[Note162: Links or background material for this programming has been shared with the IRM researcher. See, for example, the 'Open Up Guide: Using Open Data to Combat Corruption' at https://open-data-charter.gitbook.io/open-up-guide-using-open-data-to-combat-corruption/; the “Government Open-Up Guide for Agriculture” at data-impact.com/agpack/; a description of open data programming for development in Nigeria at http://od4d.net/impact-series-using-open-data-for-economic-impact-in-nigeria/; and open data programming targeting open elections in Burkina Faso at od4d.net/burkina.] Over the second year of implementation, the number of new datasets from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada on the open data portal grew from 58 to 68 (18.5).[Note163: See “Open Government Portal,” Government of Canada, https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset?q=&organization=aafc-aac&sort=metadata_modified+desc. The figure comes from Canada's self-assessment. As of September 2018, there were 283 datasets from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada available through the portal. However, it is difficult to confirm the number uploaded over the course of this action plan.] The end-of-term self-assessment notes that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada supported an additional discussion in September 2017, titled “Farmers Sharing Their Data with Scientists,” at the Research Data Alliance's Tenth Plenary Meeting in Montréal. GODAN sponsored the event.

Did It Open Government?

Access to Information: Major

Civic Participation: Marginal

Public Accountability: Marginal

This commitment includes several international development projects. Most involve partnerships between Canadian international development organisations and counterparts in the Global South. As noted in the midterm assessment, although international collaboration stands out as a main feature of OGP, this evaluation aims purely to assess the impact of commitments within Canada. As a consequence, a project which had a transformative effect on openness in the target country might be scored as having only marginal impact on open government in Canada.

In terms of access to information, there are some signs that Canada's leadership role within OGP has given greater priority to access to information programming in the country. There also exist indications of Canada's willingness to take a leadership role in global open government issues. Such leadership helps to better form the nexus between open government programming abroad and improved domestic practice. As a result, the coding for this commitment on access to information has been increased to major. However, civic participation and public accountability are coded as undergoing marginal effects. The outward-facing nature of this commitment makes those two values more difficult to assess domestically.

Carried Forward?

Canada's latest action plan has a strong emphasis on developing Canadian leadership internationally. Specifically, it focuses on feminist open government. The corresponding commitment, Commitment 10, includes substantial international components. The International Development Research Centre and Open Data for Development also play prominent roles in Commitment 10, on leadership and collaboration.