CSO Leadership Changes in the OGP Steering Committee

OGP is growing up. At the end of the month, a dozen countries will complete new national action plans, adding to the more than 2,000 commitments already made and many delivered. Several of these countries are embarking on their second national 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..., implementing lessons learned and deepening engagement with civil society by creating mechanisms for ongoing dialogue and shared decision making. The steering committeeThe Steering Committee is OGP’s executive decision-making body. Its role is to develop, promote and safeguard OGP’s values, principles and interests; establish OGP’s core ideas, policies, and ru... is exploring innovations with local level government, parliaments and accountability institutions. And we are discussing how OGP can support and advance the Post-2015 agenda.

This rapid progress has been accompanied by some  growing pains. Action plans and consultation processes are getting better, but commitments still cover a narrow range of issues and often lack ambition. Too many OGP countries are acting contrary to the principles of the Open Government Declaration, implementing laws and practices that restrict, or even prohibit, civil society from playing its critical role. The response policy is a step forward, but its ability to effect change remains to be tested.

Realizing these opportunities and combating these challenges will take strong leadership. In October of 2015, Alejandro Gonzalez will take the position of lead co-chair, together with the South African government. The Steering Committee has now endorsed Manish Bapna’s application to serve as a Civil Society Co-Chair together with the French Government beginning October 2016.

In the short time since he joined the OGP Steering Committee last October, Manish has already been leveraging his expertise and experience as executive vice president and managing director of the World Resources Institute, a global research organization that works to address six urgent sustainability challenges: food, forests, water, climate, energyEnsuring universal access to sustainable, dependable, and affordable energy is critical to every aspect of prosperity. Increasing public oversight and transparency in the energy sector can help to ens... and cities. At our April Steering Committee meeting in Mexico City, he co-chaired a strategy session with Minister Andrade of Mexico on subnational government innovations, working to advance this new area of government collaboration within OGP. More broadly, Manish brings recognized expertise on international development with a focus on natural resources and rural poverty, and the critical importance of open government to address these challenges. We believe that his leadership will help to raise the profile of OGP globally and advance our strategic ambitions.

The leadership of civil society and governments on the Steering Committee is a critical complement. Last year, we selected six new civil society members to broaden and deepen our expertise. However, we are also mindful of the importance of stability and have retained founding members to ensure continuity and thoughtful transition. This balance has proved powerful – the leadership of former civil society co-chair Warren Krafchik (IBP / USA) shepherded the successful pilot of the response policyThe Response Policy is used when an OGP participating country appears to be taking actions that undermine the values and principles of OGP, as articulated in the Open Government Declaration, in a way ..., in close collaboration with new members Sugeng Bahagijo (INFID / Indonesia), Nathaniel Heller (R4D / USA) and Mukelani Dimba (ODAC / South Africa).

The governments, who did not rotate when civil society did in 2014, will elect new Steering Committee representatives to be announced in August. Civil society will not rotate this year but will again in 2016, when four seats will become available. This will align the rotation cycles of government and civil society going forward, enable continued balance of founding and new leadership, and allow us to review and revamp the selection process, with inputs from the OGP civil society community.

OGP is still just a toddler, but we know that early childhood development is critical. With the strong leadership of the forthcoming co-chairsThe leadership of the Steering Committee is made up of four co-chairs who provide strategic guidance and support to advance OGP’s overarching priorities. Co-Chairs serve two-year terms beginning on ... and the continuity of our civil society steering committee members, we can help ensure OGP’s future is bright.

Photo credit: Wikipedia Commons.