OGP to the Next Level: After the Mexico Summit
Alas, it is the final day of OGP’s Third Global Summit in Mexico City and my first OGP summit. I joined the partnership exactly one year ago. As I celebrate my first anniversary I am astounded by what this multi stakeholder initiative has accomplished during its four short years – from 8 countries to 69, support at the highest levels of government, 2,500 total commitments and 109 action plans so far. Very few multi stakeholder initiatives can match this level of growth and interest. This is not only my view, but sentiment expressed by others close to the OGP process in their countries. Clearly, the time for government 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 accountability has come, and many are looking to the OGP platform to enable real change on the ground including the successful completionImplementers must follow through on their commitments for them to achieve impact. For each commitment, OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) evaluates the degree to which the activities outlin... of the Sustainable Development GoalsOGP countries are experimenting with open government innovations to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 16+ which includes peaceful, just and inclusive societies....
In 2014 OGP launched its 4-year strategy outlining a clear vision of how the platform can help accomplish these goals through deepened engagement with governments and civil society. The strategy has an accompanying business plan and funding needed to carry out that vision. It is no small task to try and raise the resources at the beginning for all four years so that we can focus on implementation of the plan rather than chasing after funds. With the help of our generous partners and supporters we are well on our way to meeting that goal: we are pleased to announce the most recent grant from Omidyar Network for $3.8 million over four years. OGP is also lucky to have had strong support from the Government of the United Kingdom since its founding days. We are especially grateful for the recent extension of the UK Department of International Development’s (DFID) grant to OGP bringing the total UK contribution to $3 million.
Our funders share our strategic vision and understand that the four-year strategy is key to solidifying OGP’s work. A few initial, generous investments from a handful of funders was instrumental in building a strong base. Our focus in the next few years will be to consolidate the good work in 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... development, peer exchange and holding governments to account.
Our fundraising plan also includes contributions from OGP governments. The partnership’s founding principle that places government and civil society on an equal footing is reflected in its new policy to require all OGP governments to make financial contribution to the support unit’s annual budget. Our goal is to have at least half of OGP countries to contribute during the first year of implementation – we are well on our way to reaching that goal.
As we leave Mexico with renewed 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 increased commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... to open government we are aware that the innovation embodied in the OGP initiative would not be possible without the help of our generous supporters. Gracias!
