Open Government Partnership | February Newsletter

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OGP Newsletter

February 2018: The Year Ahead
2018 will be an ambitious year for OGP: a summit in Georgia, a meeting in Korea, and the launch of several new initiatives will keep the #opengov world busy this year. Read all about it in this month’s Newsletter.

In This Issue:

OGP’s year ahead: Deputy CEO Joe Powell looks at the future
The B-Team on how to drive private sector action for a more open world
The European Open Government Leaders’ Forum - a meeting of the minds in Milan
Why - and how - children should be involved in open government
OGP Co-Chair Thea Tsulukiani on Georgia’s leadership of OGP
Let’s get co-creating - launching the biggest action plan process yet
Kenya’s climate commitment - moving forward on the Paris Agreement
Plus news from around the world of opengov, jobs, and more

Participants at the European Open Government Leaders’ Forum in Milan, Italy, on February 5, 2018.

What’s Ahead for OGP in 2018

By Joe Powell, Deputy CEO, OGP

2018’s going to be a big year around the world, with elections and ongoing change across the globe. OGP’s Deputy CEO Joe Powell lays out the year ahead for the partnership: launching new initiatives, helping over 75 governments co-create action plans with citizens, and scaling up important thematic work. Read the full piece here.

2018 Will Be a Big Year for Georgia!

By Thea Tsulukiani, Minister of Justice, Republic of Georgia

Georgia is OGP’s current co-chair government; it’s hosting the 2018 Global Summit; and it boasts one of OGP’s pioneer Local governments, Tbilisi. In this post, Minister of Justice Thea Tsulukiani discusses the year ahead for Georgia and what she hopes for out of the Summit.

Peers and Partners: Empowering Children To Take Civic Action and Engage in Open Government

By Tor Hodenfield, CIVICUS, and Ulrika Cilliers, Save the Children

Children around the world are out of school, without healthcare, and particularly vulnerable. However, their voices are seldom heard in policy - and children can be a blind spot for politicians making policy. Civicus' Tor Hodenfield and Ulrika Cilliers from Save the Children argue in this blog that open government approaches can - and should - work for children.

The OGP Local Program is accepting applications for five new participants! Read about the application process here.

Working together at the OGP Datacamp at the Americas Summit in Buenos Aires.

The Business of Better Governance in 2018

By Emily Bonta, The B-Team

Key to success in areas like beneficial ownership and money in politics, the private sector’s response to global crises in trust and civic space has never been more vital. Emily Bonta, from OGP partner organization The B Team, talks about how the private sector can build a more transparent world in 2018. Read more here.

OGP will be at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, on March 13th. Find out more here!

Open Government Leaders’ Forum: What Inclusive Participation Really Means

By Irene Dominioni, European Youth Press

The Italian government kicked off its Public Administration Week on February 5th with the European Open Government Leaders’ Forum. Attendees from over 19 countries participated in and listened to discussions on inclusive participation, trust, and local government. European Youth Press journalist Irene Dominioni reports on what happened at the Forum in this blog post.

Quote of the Month
Sebastian Haselbeck
Open Government & Open Data Advisor
German Federal Ministry of the Interior

"Today we no longer talk about participation just for the sake of it. What we mean when we say participation is what we want to achieve with it - hence meaning a very practical question. Sharing knowledge and best practices at [the European Open Government Leaders] Forum go in this direction, and that's what makes it truly relevant and concrete.”

More Humans of #OpenGov from the European Open Government Leaders’ Forum is available on OGP’s Instagram.

Let’s Get Co-Creating: Participate in the 2018 Action Plan Process

By Jaime Mercado, Governance Officer, OGP

OGP is about to have the biggest year in action plans - ever. Over 50 countries and 20 local governments will submit Action Plans to open government. But before they submit, they’ve got to co-create. OGP Governance Officer Jaime Mercado explains the process and offers guidance for stakeholders in this blog.

Featured Commitment

Country: Kenya
Action Plan: 2016-18
Commitment: More transparent and participatory development of climate policies at the national and subnational level

By Markus Sherman, Intern, Independent Reporting Mechanism

Not that long ago, Kenya lacked the mechanisms to ensure action on climate change. Under its current action plan, Kenya made an ambitious commitment to attack climate change: involving people at the national and local levels and signing onto ambitious international agreements. How is the process going? What needs to improve? IRM Intern Markus Sherman looks at the possibilities.

OGP in the News - January 2018

By Jacqueline McGraw, Communications Associate, OGP

Follow-up on the Asia-Pacific Leaders Forum, corruption in South Africa, concerns from civil society in Mexico and Greece, and the Edelman Trust Barometer made OGP headlines last month. Read the whole report here.

Employment Opportunities

Asia-Pacific Senior Program Officer
We are looking for a resourceful individual with strong experience and understanding of the governance field to serve as a Asia-Pacific Senior Program Officer at the OGP Support Unit. The candidate should have knowledge of the inner workings of government - including the ability to interface with senior-level government officials - and also strong experience working with and building relationships with civil society actors in the region.

Call for IRM National Researchers
The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) is seeking individuals to carry out research at the national level in a variety of countries to assess government progress on implementation of their OGP Action Plans.

Buzz on #OpenGov

Tell us who you want to see give inspiring keynote opening speeches at the 5th OGP Global Summit in Georgia on July 18. Share your ideas on Twitter tagging #OGPGeorgia or @opengovpart or by emailing summit@opengovpartnership.org

OGP CEO Sanjay Pradhan spoke at the Women and Access to Information Conference at the Carter Center. Read the blog adapted from his speech here.

Pradhan also spoke at the World Bank at the launch of the Open Budget Survey. Read his adapted remarks here.

Steering Committee elections are underway. Read about that process here.

Read the full Why OGP Commitments Fall Behind paper here.