OGP in the News
Week of May 22, 2017
A series providing a round-up of media attention received by the Open Government Partnership throughout the world.
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A busy week in the world of #opengov, this week’s media coverage of OGP came overwhelmingly out of the Americas with news from Mexico, Argentina and the United States.
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Americas
Mexican Civil Society Organizations Withdraw from OGP - El Universal, Mexico
On May 23, ten Mexican civil society organizations, including Fundar, Transparencia Mexicana, IMCO, GESOC, Mexico Evaluate, and Article 19, decided to withdraw from Mexico’s Tripartite OGP Secretariat originally composed of the government, the National Institute for Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI), and a core group of civil society organizationss. The decision came after the government did not address issues raised in a Citizen Lab report released in February 2017, revealing various offices of the Mexican government had used digital surveillance software to spy on three Mexican researchers and health advocates, two of whom had worked on developing a commitment on obesity for Mexico’s third National Action Plan (NAP). Reflecting what many consider a growing trend of the Mexican government targeting activists and journalists, an article in El Universal quoted Mexican civil society claiming these actions were not only illegal, but signs of a totalitarian regime and contrary to the principles of OGP, which is founded on the very idea of collaboration between government and civil society.
OGP Statement on Developments in Mexico - OGP Support Unit
In response to a letter submitted by the CSOs formerly belonging to Mexico’s OGP Secretariat, the OGP Support Unit released a statement emphasizing the “crucial role” Mexico has played in building the Partnership since its founding five years ago. The OGP Support Unit statement also said, “We sincerely hope that the Mexican government and civil society will be able to re-establish a working relationship in the future built on trust, transparency and accountability.”
Future of OGP Under Trump - The Washington Post, United States
John Podesta, chair of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and counselor to former President Barack Obama, authored an opinion piece for The Washington Post about the state of “international aid, development and governance” in the United States under President Trump. Critiquing the current administration’s resistance to certain international initiatives fighting for transparency and human rights, Podesta highlighted the President’s conspicuous silence on the future of OGP: "To date, the White House has not acknowledged the OGP’s existence or signaled whether it will continue to participate in the initiative. Given the administration’s general hostility to transparency and ethics, it seems unlikely that it will commit itself to additional open government reforms through the submission of a new OGP national action plan, which is due in June."
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Asia-Pacific
Support for Tax Reform in the Philippines - Philstar.com, Philippines
Some 66 civil society organizations participating in OGP rallied support for the swift passage of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, or House Bill 5636, in the Philippines. Aside from generating revenue for improved education, health, and infrastructure programs, the organizations claimed that this “long overdue” reform would “complement initiatives for transparent and participatory governance.”
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Africa
"What BudgIT is not saying" - The Guardian Nigeria, Nigeria
In an opinion piece, journalist Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo described some of the conclusions from a BudgIT survey referenced in another Guardian article as “erroneous, to say the least.” Claiming that the dismal economic picture of Nigeria painted by BudgIT co-founder Oluseun Onigbinde (quoted in the article) and many international NGOs often lacks nuance, the author pointed to a few recent successes, including the fact that the internally generated revenue (IGR) among states has risen to about 20 per cent and that “governors are already embracing the Open Government Partnership.”
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Subnational
OGP Trip to Bojonegoro - Suara Bojonegoro, Indonesia
OGP’s Subnational Pilot Program Manager Brittany Lane, travelled to the regency of Bojonegoro, one of the 15 subnational pioneers. Local news outlet Suara Bojonegoro covered the visit, during which the OGP team met with Regent Kang Yoto to discuss Bojonegoro’s progress to-date on fulfilling its OGP commitments.
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Last but not least, the United Nations has taken a more youthful approach to explaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Add this creative SDG rap to your #opengov weekend playlist!
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Of course, we can’t catch everything in our news round-ups, so if you see we’ve missed something or think a particular story ought to be featured, please send it to jacqueline.mcgraw@opengovpartnership.org.
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