The OGP Gazette is a monthly update of technical information provided by the OGP Support Unit and IRM. It is intended to help OGP stakeholders stay up to date on official decisions and the technical aspects of National Action Plans and reporting.
Calendar
Participant calendars: What are you working on right now?
OGP countries and OGP Local participants are organized in two large groups according to the year - even or odd - in which they present their two-year Action Plan (AP). This division is important because it determines when countries and OGP Local participants are due to co-create Action Plan and Self-Assessment reports, and when they will receive their IRM reports. The list of participants in each of the groups varies, as new entities join and others experience delays. For 2018, the list is as follows:
Even
Albania
Armenia
Austin
Australia
Basque Country
Bojonegoro
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
Buenos Aires
Bulgaria
Cabo Verde
Canada
Chile
Cote d’Ivoire
Croatia
Czech Republic
Dominican Republic
Ecuador*
El Salvador
Elgeyo-Marakwet County
Estonia
France
Georgia
Greece
Guatemala
Honduras
Iași
Indonesia
Ireland
Italy
Jalisco
Jamaica
Jordan
Kaduna State
Kenya
Kigoma
Kyrgyzstan
La Libertad
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Madrid
Malawi
Malta
Moldova
Mongolia
Montenegro**
Morocco
Nariño
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Ontario
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Paris
Portugal
Romania
São Paulo
Scotland
Sekondi-Takoradi
Senegal*
Seoul
Serbia
Sierra Leone
South Africa
South Cotabato
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Sweden
Tbilisi
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Ukraine
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Odd
Afghanistan
Argentina
Azerbaijan Republic**
Burkina Faso
Colombia
Costa Rica
Denmark
Finland
Germany
Ghana
Israel
Latvia
Liberia
Mexico
Nigeria
Panama
Peru
Philippines
Slovak Republic
Spain
*New members **Currently in inactive status
This section presents the activities that countries - in each group - are doing according to their calendars.
Odd year countries and OGP Local participants (action plans beginning in an odd year):
Have started to implement their 2017-2019 National Action Plans.
Even year countries and OGP Local participants (action plans beginning in September of an odd year):
Will finalize the implementation of their 2016-2018 National Action Plans and will soon start the co-creation of their 2018-2020 Action Plans.
The IRM Data Dashboard is a reference for frequently asked questions about general IRM data, such as the number of OGP action plans, total number of commitments, or number and percentage of starred commitments. The dashboard reflects data provided in the IRM-Support Unit Commitments Database and is updated as the database is updated.
Data on progress reports for 2016-2018 action plans
Data on end of term reports for 2015-2017 action plans
This data can be found in the “non-IRM assessed commitments” tab of the database. While these action plans have been tagged for OGP Thematic Tags, their inclusion will not change IRM assessed variables (i.e. specificity, OGP value relevance, potential impact, completion, starred commitments).
Job Announcements & Opportunities
Support Unit positions
There are currently no positions open at the Support Unit.
IRM positions
IRM National Researchers The following national IRM Researcher positions are open (see here):
Afghanistan
Albania
Burkina Faso
Denmark
Estonia
Honduras
Indonesia
Liberia
Malawi
Malta
Morocco
Nigeria
Peru
Romania
The following local IRM Researcher positions are open (see here)
Iași, Romania
Positions at OGP Partner Organizations
Open Contracting Partnership is currently looking for a Country Program Manager and a Business Advocacy and Engagement Manager. Open Contracting Partnership will accept applications for these positions on a rolling basis through August 17. Interviews are expected to take place the week of 27 August 2018. Only successful candidates will be contacted.
OGP Events & Announcements
OGP South Korea Regional Meeting
At the closing session, OGP also announced that the Government of South Korea will host the OGP Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting on November 5-6, 2018, bringing together government leaders and practitioners to share experiences of open government initiatives and practices in their countries. We’ll be releasing more information soon but in the meantime, read more here.
OGP Multi Donor Trust Fund Webinars
Open Government Partnership and the World Bank are now accepting expressions of interestfor the second round of awards of the OGP Multi Donor Trust Fund through August 17. If you want to learn more about the process and how to advance more ambitious OGP commitments, join our webinars next week. See details below.
Info Session 1 - Advancing OGP's Thematic Priorities
Wednesday, August 8, 2018 at 9:00 – 10:30AM EDT
When it's time,join the meeting.
Join by phone +1-650-479-3207 Call-in toll number (US/Canada)
Meeting number (access code): 732 292 563 Global call-in numbers
Info Session 2 - Advancing OGPs Thematic Priorities
Wednesday, August 8, 2018 at 9:00 – 10:30 PM EDT
When it's time, join the meeting
Join by phone +1-650-479-3207 Call-in toll number (US/Canada)
Meeting number (access code): 738 315 992 Global call-in numbers
Feminist Open Government in Latin America
On Wednesday August 15 at 10:00 AM EDT (11 AM Argentina Time), OGP and Iniciativa Latinoamericana para los Datos Abiertos (ILDA) will host a webinar to analyze how women have been involved in open government processes and three Latin American countries and identify the elements that allow substantive advancements and commitments in gender equality. Click here to register.
Introducing CitizENGAGE - How Citizens are Getting Things Done
Trust in government is at historic lows. Autocratic leaders have taken the reins in countries once thought bastions of democracy. Voter engagement has been declining around the globe for years. Despite this reality, there is another powerful truth: citizens are using open government to engage in their communities in innovative, exciting ways, bringing government closer and creating a more inclusive system. Highlighting stories in Madrid, Paraguay, Mongolia, Costa Rica, and Liberia, as well as photo essays and impact stories in OGP participants around the world, OGP has launched a new global campaign called CitizENGAGE. Find out more about these and many other open government reforms, and get inspired!
Open Government Outreach Tools
OGP Civil Society Engagement Survey Results
How is OGP delivering for civil society? After running the 3rd Civil Society Engagement Survey for a year, the results are in. While there are significant improvements in the inclusion of civil society groups in OGP processes and the diversification of our open government community, we still need to work on including more women and youth. Click here to read more about the results, here to access our most recent infographic in English, Spanish, and French, and here for a short video explaining the results.
Stay abreast of OGP action plan consultation opportunities using the Co-Creation Tracker, available here. Regularly updated, it provides the latest information about past and upcoming co-creation events within OGP countries currently developing an action plan.
Publications
Whether you are inside or outside of OGP, you may not yet be convinced of the benefits of opening government. When you open government, what do you get in return? If you are asking this question, then our Skeptic’s Guide to Open Government is for you. The guide summarizes what is known about the impact of opening government in five areas: 1) public service delivery 2) business opportunities 3) government efficiency and cost saving 4) prevention of corruption and 5) trust in government. Each chapter draws from empirical evidence, and highlights reformers who are opening government in innovative ways. Click here to get started.
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OGP Events & Announcements 
