OGP Turns Three, Celebrates Success and Looks to the Future

Next week Heads of State and civil society leaders from across the Open Government Partnership’s 64 countries will come together to celebrate three years of one of the world’s most innovative international organisations. As is always the case at OGP events the stage will be shared by political and civic leaders, signifying the cultural shift from business-as-usual government practices that participation in OGP requires. Countries have now made over 2,000 individual open government reform commitments under the OGP umbrella, so a degree of celebration is warranted, but the event is much more than a birthday party.
 
Building Political Support
 
First, high level political support is a crucial ingredient in OGP’s theory of change. It serves to motivate and empower mid-level reformers to try new ideas and take the necessary risks to truly open up government. It also raises awareness of the opportunity civil society has with OGP to advocate for specific commitments, to use the platform to engage with government, and to hold leaders accountable for their promises. The objective of bringing Heads of State and senior ministers together at the United Nations is to galvanise support in OGP countries around the world, giving reformers the clear mandate they need to turn high-minded commitments into concrete action.
 
Open Government Awards
 
The event will also host the first Open Government Awards, which are being presented to countries that have pioneered new approaches to citizen engagement in public policy and services. Thirty-four OGP countries nominated projects for the awards, which were assessed by an independent panel of judges. The winners that will be honoured on stage will serve as an inspiration to governments looking for new ideas to improve their own levels of public participation. The best new OGP commitments on citizen engagement from the most recent National Action Plans will also be celebrated at the event.

New Pledges

OGP events are important action-forcing moments. They focus attention on results and the actual implementation of the political commitments countries have made through OGP. They also provide an opportunity for members to help each other cross the threshold from commitment to action. To that end, each OGP country has been asked to make a specific pledge to assist at least one other country with a policy issue they face in common. 

Read full post on the OGP blog

What does the publication of this strategy signify about OGP’s evolution?

When OGP was launched 3 years ago, no one knew exactly where it was headed or how fast it would grow. But its founders had a compelling vision, which in hindsight seems to have been the right approach at just the right time. Who would have thought more than 60 countries would voluntarily sign up to take concrete steps to open up their governments to public oversight, and then subject themselves to independent reporting on their progress? 

OGP morphed very quickly from a big idea to an incredibly exciting – but admittedly daunting - implementation challenge.  At 60 plus countries and growing, could we deliver on the original vision:  the idea that by joining this initiative, countries would be encouraged and inspired to make real progress on critical open government reforms?

By early 2014, it was clear that we needed a road map to take OGP from scrappy start-up to a consolidated, high-impact organization. Hence the decision to develop an ambitious, but pragmatic, 4-year strategy for OGP. 

The publication of this strategy signifies two important things.  First, OGP is here to stay.  There is enough evidence that the model is working that we need to double down and make the necessary investments to deliver on its full potential.  Second, it isn’t going to be easy.  But we have now put a thoughtful plan in place that will increase the likelihood of success. 

What does the strategy cover?
 
It’s not always easy to explain what OGP is or how it works.  We hope this document will serve as a comprehensive and accessible resource for those who want to know more about OGP.    With that in mind, I would urge everyone to read the “OGP in Context” and “Theory of Change” sections to better understand what OGP is, and what it isn’t.
 
 
Read full post on the OGP blog