Asia Pacific Leaders’ Forum Opens in Jakarta

JAKARTA, INDONESIA – December 13, 2017 – The Asia Pacific Leaders’ Forum on Open Government opens tomorrow in Jakarta, hosted by the Government of Indonesia. The event will host over 200 senior political leaders, ministers, local government leaders, civil society organisations, businesses, and development partners to discuss pressing challenges in the region and potential open government solutions.

The leaders attending the forum will discuss how the region can move forward in an inclusive and sustainable way, and the role open government can play in building citizen trust, helping to forge paths out of poverty, and furthering inclusive growth that leaves no one behind. Other topics to be discussed include economic growth, public service delivery, extractives transparency, and climate action. The Open Government Partnership (OGP), a global coalition of 74 countries, 15 subnational entities, and hundreds of civil society organizations, will be helping to lead and foster the dialogue between the participants. OGP has fourteen participating countries and three participating subnational entities in the region, including the organization’s newest entrant, the Kyrgyz Republic.

“OGP is thrilled to participate in this high-level meeting of reformers from around the Asia-Pacific region,” said OGP CEO Sanjay Pradhan. “We have seen some truly impactful innovations, and this forum provides the opportunity and learning space to broaden and deepen these reforms. We hope that governments and civil society will return home with a renewed commitment to work together to truly empower citizens and deliver on the promises of open government.”

“We believe that our consolidated actions through a multi-stakeholder platform will enhance our chance to achieve many development targets,” said Bambang Brodjonegoro, Minister of National Development Planning for the Government of Indonesia. “On that basis, the Government of Indonesia invites representatives from Asia Pacific countries to share experiences and knowledge in implementing open government initiatives in each respective country.”

The current government co-chair of OGP, Georgian Minister of Justice Tea Tsulukiani, expressed optimism about the outcome of the APLF. “Gatherings like the Asia Pacific Leaders Forum help open government reformers to see a broader picture of benefits and challenges of the journey we are taking together in different parts of the world. The Government of Indonesia has triggered one more opportunity for heads of state and government, ministers, local government leaders, civil society and other stakeholders to set the strategy on building trusted institutions that bring prosperity to each and every citizen. I am confident we will use this occasion wisely.”

***ENDS***

For more information on the Asia-Pacific Leaders Forum, or to set up interviews, please contact:

Stephanie Bluma, Chief Communications and Campaigns Officer
stephanie.bluma@opengovpartnership.org

About the Asia-Pacific Leaders Forum on Open Government

• Watch live – the opening plenary, starting at 9:00 in Jakarta (find your timezone here), will be livestreamed – watch it live here.  
• Twitter – the OGP account, as well as the OpenGov Indonesia account, will be covering all of the day’s proceedings on Twitter using the #APLF2017 hashtag.
• Share your thoughts – use the #APLF2017 hashtag on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) to add your voice to the conversation!

About OGP

Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a unique multilateral initiative aimed at securing concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, increase civic participation, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to make governments more open, effective, and accountable to citizens around the world.

OGP was formally launched on September 20, 2011, on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly meeting, when eight heads of state, along with an equal number of civil society leaders, endorsed the Open Government Declaration and published the first cohort of OGP National Action Plans with specific open government reform commitments. OGP has since grown to include over 70 national governments (representing a third of the world’s population), 15 subnational entities, seven multilateral bodies, and hundreds of civil society organizations. OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) holds governments accountable for their commitments by producing thorough, impartial reports that track progress on National Action Plans.