Ten Things to Watch in Tbilisi

As Georgia welcomes the world to Tbilisi for the 5th Open Government Global Summit, here are some key things to be the look out for during the week.

1. Seventy-six OGP countries and local communities are in the process of drafting new action plans.  Look for signals on what ambitious commitments will be next as governments and civil society share ideas on reforms.

2. Anti-corruption is one of three themes of the Georgia Summit, with lots of informative and interesting discussions planned for the Anti-Corruption Track .  Fifty-seven percent of OGP countries have commitments on open contracting, and another sixteen percent have commitments on beneficial ownership.  The conversation kicks off on Wednesday with a panel at 14:00 on how to implement anti-corruption commitments, with OGP’s Joe Powell, Nigeria’s Zainab Ammed, and leaders from Argentina, Norway, Ghana, and 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 International,

3. Feminist Open Government’s time has come, and it’s now.  Hear from OGP Ambassador Helen Clark, Results for Development Nathaniel Heller, Canada’s Scott Brison and Georgia’s own Thea Tsulukiani on Thursday at 1O:30.  And read about five ways to make OGP summits more feminist, by Open Heroines.

4. Over ninety percent of the world’s population live in countries with restrictions on civic space, yet out of the over three thousand commitments that OGP governments have made, only one hundred address civic space. Read the OGP Civic Space paper for more on this subject, and be sure to attend our civic space-themed panels.  

5. Citizens around the world are engaging – and governments are listening. We’re launching CitizENGAGE, a storytelling website for open government. Starting on Wednesday, visit ogpstories.org to learn more and share your story with #citizengage

6. Governments are using open government innovations to improve public service delivery – with apps, with social accountability, and with people on the ground. Read OGP Co-Chair Mukelani Dimba’s op-ed in GovInsider for more on how OGP is delivering services for citizens, and you can attend any of the panels on our Public Service Delivery track.  

7. We’re highlighting citizen leaders throughout the summit, starting with Sandor Lederer – an innovator and activist from Hungary, recently named an Obama Fellow. Read his blog here, and stay tuned for more highlights throughout the summit.

8. We’re officially launching the Multi-Donor Trust Fund, a fund financing OGP thematic priorities in World Bank client countries and local participants. Keep an eye out for stories from the first round of awardees.

9. This year there are exciting side events taking place across Tbilisi. There will be a Parliament Day at Georgia’s National Parliament; a youthRecognizing that investing in youth means investing in a better future, OGP participating governments are creating meaningful opportunities for youth to participate in government processes. Technical ... gathering hosted by Restless Development, Tactical Tech, and Fundacion Multitudas; and an all-day event, hosted by the World Resources Institute, on how open government reforms can support the fight against climate change.  

10. At the close of the opening ceremony keep an eye out for a very special message from an exciting new voice in the open government movement and welcome the following new members to the OGP family, including Ecuador and Senegal.  

Follow all the action at #OGPGeorgia, #OpenGov, and #citizENGAGE