OGP in the News – Week of May 23, 2016
A series providing a round-up of media attention received by the Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More throughout the world.
This week OGP received a considerable amount of press coverage in France, which is set to take over as lead chair of the Steering Committee later this year, in addition to hosting the OGP 2016 Global Summit in December. French Environment Minister Jean-Vincent Placé stated that OGP will be a “response to the Panama Papers” and a “new philosophy of the administration.” Placé spoke at a May 19 seminar on the development of the country’s Government Modernization Secretariat, and as reported in Next INpact, Placé made reference to the OGP Global Summit, making a case to French lawmakers for increased citizen consultation. In preparation for the summit, the French government this week published an extensive description of OGP on its Vie-Publique website.
In addition, both La Tribune and the French edition of Le Huffington Post referenced the role of OGP in thoughtful op-eds on the role of digital technologies in modern democracy. In the latter, author Benjamin Des Gachons described a new “groundswell” – a “swarm of tools, resources and initiatives” – of citizenship participation in governance. He stated:
At the end of the year, France will welcome an event that could be an opportunity that could be a coup [for efforts of this kind]. France will chair the Open Government Partnership and will organize the initiative’s Global Summit in December. This international organization launched in 2011 and composed of 70 countries aims to promote good practices in open public action, 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 and 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.
Officially announced on April 20, the 2016 summit will be co-created through an online platform for local authorities, associations, project leaders, researchers and citizens, who can participate in and propose ideas until 20 July. The summit organizers also wish to establish by December a catalog of digital tools for citizen participation to boost awareness and usage.
New technologies and their role in making government more participatory was also the theme of an article in the influential DC publication The Hill, which opened with a reference to OGP. OGP was well-represented in a host of articles out of South Korea, as media sources (including the English-language Seoul Times) highlighted a new agreement to “export” the country’s e-government to fellow OGP member Tunisia.
In the Spanish-speaking world, OGP received media attention in articles on open government in Spain’s El Mundo Financiero and Mexico’s El Milenio. Multilateral organizations, including the Inter-American Development Bank and UNESCO, posted Spanish-language items featuring OGP in the run-up to the Americas Regional Meeting being held in Montevideo next week. And in Guatemala, which is set to begin developing its 2016-2018 National Action Plan, local papers published several articles and a video about the OGP process, including this front-page story in El Periódico.
Elsewhere in the world, OGP was profiled by CNN Greece, and cited by other Greek sources, ahead of a May 30 event in Thessaloniki finalizing the country’s next National Action Plan. Filipino President-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s expected position on freedom of information gave OGP some exposure. Azerbaijan’s recent ‘de-activation’ in OGP was discussed in a piece from the Natural Resource Governance Institute. Finally, in a blog post on the Brookings Institution website, OGP was called a “critical tool for monitoring commitments made” at the London summit– a sentiment echoed in a new communiqué from the G7.
And last but not least, an unabashed plug for the OGP Awards, which are now in full swing. If you’re looking to make news within the open government community, be sure register by June 27!