Remarks from OGP Deputy Director at the Opening of the Georgia European Regional Meeting

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, Minister Thea Tsulukiani and all the Georgian government and civil society leaders here today – we thank you for hosting this meeting of European members of 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.

It is no accident that we are gathered here in Georgia, a country that has embraced the Open Government Partnership since we launched just 4 years ago.

In that time OGP has grown from 8 to 65 countries, who have collectively made over 2000 specific open government reform commitments.

Many of these reforms have now been implemented – and are beginning to have impact for the citizens of those countries.

My friend Giorgi Kldiashvili, civil society co-chair of the Open Government Forum in Georgia, says “Open government is not just lovely words for us – it is the opportunity and reality already…to improve the future for our children and the next generations”.

In Georgia progress has been made on proactive disclosure of public information, an online register of the assets of public officials and an e-procurement programme that is now widely used for state contracts.

And we look forward to seeing exciting new commitments delivered, such as the Freedom of Information law and the world’s first publication of secret surveillance statistics by the Supreme Court.

But just as importantly as the reforms delivered, the OGP process in Georgia has developed into a true partnership between civil society and government.

Civil society proposed many of the commitments contained in the Georgian National Action Plans but the conversation did not stop there. There is a regular forum for dialogue and a frank exchange of views. In fact we can say that in Georgia  OGP is genuinely a collaboration between civil society and government.

Many of the countries represented here also registered impressive achievements in opening up their governments.

So the momentum on OGP both here in Georgia and internationally has been impressive – but we can’t be complacent.

Over the next two days I hope this group can tackle some of the big questions that will decide whether OGP countries improve and sustain their reform efforts.

First, OGP must be a place where governments tackle the most important challenges facing their respective countries.

If OGP is only a forum for inward facing technical fixes, or for making commitments of dubious relevanceAccording to the OGP Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should include a clear open government lens. Specifically, they should advance at least one of the OGP values: transparency, citizen partic... to openness, then citizens and civil society will rightly question the value of their government’s participation.

We need to challenge each other to go further, and show by learning across international borders we can collectively raise our levels of ambitionAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should “stretch government practice beyond its current baseline with respect to key areas of open government.” Ambition captures the po....

This means tackling hard issues, such as corruption, whistleblower protection and human rightsAn essential part of open government includes protecting the sacred freedoms and rights of all citizens, including the most vulnerable groups, and holding those who violate human rights accountable. T....

It also means ensuring open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici... commitments are about accountability as well as job creation, and public participationGiving citizens opportunities to provide input into government decision-making leads to more effective governance, improved public service delivery, and more equitable outcomes. Technical specificatio... is meaningful not cosmetic.

Second, we need to expand the group of officials who believe in open government.

Two weeks ago in Dar es Salaam I challenged civil society to broaden their participation in OGP; to move beyond the open data and freedom of information activists and reach out to their friends working on health, educationAccountability within the public education system is key to improving outcomes and attainment, and accountability is nearly impossible without transparent policies and opportunities for participation ... and political reform.

The same applies to governments.

It is not sustainable if only one Ministry is involved in OGP, or the process is too reliant on one Minister or reforming official.

We know that having multiple ministries involved strengthens the OGP process, and increases the quality of implementation.

And we can also do more to involve other branches of government.

That is why seeing the judicial, legislative and  executive branches of the Georgian government here together today is so important, especially now that each branch is making its own commitments to open up.

Involving more ministries, all the branches of government – and even subnational levels of government – makes our agenda more likely to survive electoral changes, and less dependent on personalities.

Third, governments need to embrace new ways of working with civil society.

Consultations for OGP should be open and representative. And they should be ongoing throughout the cycle of a 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....

For OGP to be a true partnership, civil society needs an equal seat at the table. Formalised ongoing cooperation like our colleagues in Georgia are enjoying is crucial to the OGP process working well – and I’m sure they will share in the coming days why it is worth their effort.

But civil society also needs the space to operate effectively.

Around the world since 2012 more than 90 laws have been proposed or enacted that restrict the space for civil society to operate, including – sadly – in some OGP countries.

Instead we need OGP countries to lead the way, showing that while engagement with civil society is not always easy, it is always the right thing to do, and that it delivers results.

Indeed some of the best OGP commitments around the world have originated from civil society – showing truly that government does not have a monopoly on good ideas.

The academic Thomas Carothers recently argued there has never been a more competitive global marketplace for ideas on political change and reform.

Sadly we know that many of those ideas involve making government more closed and shutting down space for civil society.

We in this room reject those ideas – but it is not enough just to stand in opposition, however vocally.

Our challenge is to make the Open Government Partnership the go-to place for reformers who want to open up the state, and provide them with the arguments and stories of why it matters.  

The people in this room are on the frontline of that change.

In fact being an OGP civil servant – or Minister – may be one of the most demanding jobs in government.

But nobody involved in opening up their government should feel like they are going it alone.  

In this room you have a wonderful support network of peers and allies across the European continent.

And we ourselves are named the Support UnitThe OGP Support Unit is a small, permanent group of staff that work closely with the Steering Committee and the Independent Reporting Mechanism to advance the goals of the Open Government Partnership.... for a reason –  we are here to support your collective endeavours.

We want to hear over the next two days how we can help with the challenges you are facing in your countries, and more importantly for you to hear from each other to share experiences and solutions.

We are in an age when citizens are rightly expecting more from their governments than ever before.

And it is our job to live up to those expectations.

Thank you.