The Open Gov Challenge
Join hundreds of reformers around the world - in government and civil society - who are working to make their communities stronger, more open, participatory, inclusive, and accountable.
The global polycrisis we currently face- including democratic backsliding, conflict, the climate emergency and deep set issues of injustice- is only deepening. These problems manifest themselves in different ways but their solutions include one common thread- open governance. From the war in Ukraine to the economic crisis in Argentina to corruption in the United States- governments are coming together with civil society organizations, the media and the private sector to push for more open, transparent and fair systems of decision-making.
OGP- with the collaborative process it involves, the deep knowledge it holds and the vibrant community it gathers- has never been more important. For every despot hoping to close civic space or populist working to exclude voices from decision-making, there are reformers pushing to open up systems, and networks collaborating to improve inclusion from the bottom-up.
As pointed out in the new OGP strategy, OGP represents the “hopeful alternative”- in 2024 we intend to demonstrate why this is the case. We will work with the OGP community at all levels to do this through focusing on four key areas of work within the partnership, as outlined further in the attached technical note.
First, we are going to push for a stronger, more political global coalition for open government and strengthen political support at all levels for OGP. There are many technical tools that can be used to improve governance, but at its heart it is a political process- which requires understanding interests, building relationships and shifting incentives. OGP is uniquely able to bring people together- because of the collaborative design of the partnership- and we must demonstrate the value of this for domestic and global political agendas.
Second, we are going to position OGP as an action-oriented platform for tackling pressing geopolitical challenges and strengthening relationships with other regional and global partners. The evidence is clear, OGP generates action across a wide range of challenges- with over 4,000 commitments around the world to date leading to catalytic policy changes on everything from corruption to gender equity. It also provides the essential platform through which commitments made at the global level in other fora can be translated into realities at the national and local level. This is a critical accountability mechanism for governments.
Third, we hope to push OGP members- national and local- to be more ambitious and to challenge themselves and others on key themes that run across OGP countries- particularly digital governance, climate justice and inclusion. It is time for the open government movement to rise up and meet the moment on these issues. This means not only driving governments and their civil society allies to be more ambitious, but also to very publicly recognize and celebrate progress in ways that can push back against negative political narratives.
Finally, as OGP embarks on a new strategy, we will work with members of the Support Unit and the community to ensure that OGP is future-proofed for the challenges we collectively face going forwards; and that OGP is able to grow, adapt and improve over time.
The problems we face evolve quickly and it is essential that any organization attempting to shift governance dynamics remains agile, flexible and above all responsive to the needs of its members. This year- after a decade of work- is the perfect time for OGP to build the platform upon which the next ten years of open governance can be built.
Government of Kenya and Blair Glencorse 2023-2024 OGP Co-Chair Agenda:
We will implement our co-chair vision through the following priorities, which are all aligned with OGP’s 2023-28 strategy:
Build a stronger, more political global coalition for open government and strengthen political support for OGP.
- Promote and encourage regional cooperation and coordination by hosting major regional meetings in Africa & Middle East, the Americas, and preparing for a 2025 Asia & Pacific event.
- Host Head of State/Government level OGP event on the sidelines of UNGA 2024.
- Encourage and support new OGP members to join.
- Elevate OGP Local and promote greater involvement of the local community in the implementation of OGP’s strategy
Position OGP as an action-oriented platform for tackling pressing geopolitical challenges and strengthening relationships with other regional and global partners.
- Prioritize a set of global and regional institutions to raise OGP’s visibility and encourage more active engagement.
- Enhance involvement and collaboration among foreign ministries in OGP to better connect with other global platforms.
Advance the global Open Gov Challenge.
- Using the opportunity of the challenge to advance open government policies and partnerships in three key themes: digital governance, climate, and inclusion.
Strengthen the Partnership
- Build a pipeline of potential new OGP Steering Committee members and Co-Chairs.
- Encourage greater uptake of member financial contributions.
- Conclude OGP’s Governance Review and begin implementation of the recommendations to align the partnership’s structures to the new strategy.
