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 Action Plans and reporting.
OGP Cohorts for 2019
OGP countries and OGP Local participants are organized in two cohorts according to the year - even or odd - in which they present their two-year Action Plan (AP). Even year cohort participants submitted action plans in 2018 and will continue to implement this year. Odd year cohort participants are due to deliver an action plan this year with a deadline of August 31.
Even Year Cohort
Albania
Armenia
Australia
Basque Country
Brazil
Buenos Aires
Cabo Verde
Canada
Chile
Côte d’Ivoire
Croatia
Czech Republic
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
Elgeyo-Marakwet County
Estonia
France
Georgia
Guatemala
Honduras
Jordan
Indonesia
Kaduna State
Kenya
Kyrgyzstan
La Libertad
Lithuania
Macedonia
Madrid
Malta
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Netherlands
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Portugal
Romania
São Paulo
Scotland
Sekondi-Takoradi
Seoul
Serbia
South Cotabato
South Korea
Tbilisi
Tunisia
Ukraine
Uruguay
Odd Year Cohort
Afghanistan
Argentina
Austin
Azerbaijan Republic***
Bojonegoro Regency
Bosnia and Herzegovina**
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Colombia
Costa Rica
Denmark
Ecuador
Finland
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Iași
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jalisco
Jamaica
Kigoma
Latvia
Liberia
Luxembourg*
Malawi
Mexico
Mongolia*
Nariño
Nigeria
Norway*
Ontario
Pakistan
Panama
Paris
Peru
Philippines
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Slovak Republic
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka*
Sweden*
Trinidad and Tobago**
United Kingdom*
United States
* Close to being finalized, limited opportunities for involvement.
** Currently in inactive status
*** Currently suspended
Reporting
The Public Access Commitments Database reflects data on action plans, year 1, and year 2 IRM reports. 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). The database now covers action plans through the 2018-2020 cycle.
The Government of the United States was placed under procedural review on 15 January 2019 due to acting contrary to OGP process for two consecutive action plan cycles. The Support Unit received the 4th U.S. OGP Action Plan on 22 February 2019. Upon submission of its OGP action plan, and in accordance with the Procedural Review guidelines, the Government of the United States is no longer under review by the Criteria and Standards Subcommittee. See all ongoing Procedural Review cases here.
Steering Committee Announcements
2019 Steering Committee Rotation Government The call for government candidates to join the OGP Steering Committee is now open. At least three government seats will open for election in 2018. Interested governments must submit candidacy statements by April 1, 2019. Learn more about the criteria to run and the election process here.
Civil Society A total of 28 applications were received to fill the five seats that will open up as of October 1. As part of the selection process, the civil society community will have a chance to meet and ask questions to all shortlisted candidates through a series of public webinars that will be held between March 4th - March 15th. Additional details will be shared once the dates and times are confirmed. The list of all candidates, timeline and details regarding this process can be found here.
2019 OGP-IRM Implementation Plan The OGP Steering Committee and the OGP Board have approved the 2019 OGP-IRM Implementation Plan. Organized around five overall organizational priorities, the implementation plan includes proposed roles for the Support Unit and the Steering Committee to help achieve OGP’s collective deliverables. Find out more here.
State of Open Government Report
The OGP Flagship database is finally here. The database combines all existing OGP databases with external data produced by organizations working on open government. It includes:
Summary statistics at the national level
OGP performance in key policy areas (NEW!)
OGP process (advanced user version only)
OGP commitments (advanced user version only)
This release includes new scores for all OGP members on performance in key policy areas. These scores are calculated using both IRM report and partner organization data. The key priority policy areas featured in the database include:
Anti- Corruption: Open Contracting and Beneficial Ownership
Civic Space: Freedom of Assembly, Freedom of Association and Defending Journalists and Activists / Freedom of Expression
Public Services: Water and Sanitation, Health and Education
Fiscal Openness
Open Policy-making
Check out the database (available in various formats) here.
OGP Events & Announcements
Open Gov Week From March 11-17, open government leaders and thinkers from around the world will come together to share ideas, discuss solutions, and commit to new levels of citizen participation in government. This year, OGP members are asked to help increase the number and diversity of partners involved in the Open Gov community by inviting at least one new partner to join them in their Open Gov Week plans. Find an event near you or plan one of your own here.
OGP Global Summit Together with OGP, the Government of Canada is hosting the 6th Open Government Partnership Global Summit in Ottawa, Canada, from May 29-31st, 2019. Find more information here.
OGP Multi-Donor Trust Fund
The Multi-Donor Trust Fund is requesting Expressions of Interests from OGP members seeking support in the implementation of commitments in their national or local action plans submitted in 2016 or 2017. Applicants are encouraged to read the guidelines in entirety before submitting their EOI. The deadline for submissions is April 20, 2019.
The size of the award for the total package of activities can range from USD 150,000 to 400,000 over two to four years. The activities may run the course of two Action Plan cycles.
Eligible members:
Afghanistan
Argentina
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Burkina Faso
Colombia
Costa Rica
Ghana
Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya
Jalisco, Mexico
La Libertad, Peru
Liberia
Mongolia
Nigeria
Panama
Philippines
São Paulo, Brazil
Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana
Sierra Leone
Sri Lanka
Tbilisi, Georgia
Multi-Donor Funded Evaluation of OGP The Department for International Development (DFID) and the Hewlett Foundation are seeking an evaluation team with extensive experience in the field of governance to carry out an independent evaluation of OGP. The submission deadline for the call for proposals is April 4, 2019. Learn more about the opportunity here.
Job Announcements & Opportunities
2019 OGP Global Summit Event Logistics Consultant
OGP is looking for an Events Logistics consultant to help coordinate the 6th OGP Global Summit to be held in Ottawa, Canada from May 29-31, 2019. The consultant will be primarily responsible for supporting the planning and logistics of OGP-organized side events, such as the Civil Society Day, OGP Government Points of Contact Day, and the OGP Steering Committee Meetings, in coordination with the OGP Support Unit (SU). The consultant should be based in Ottawa, Canada. The deadline to apply is February 28, 2019.
2019 OGP Global Summit Travel Consultant
OGP is looking for a Travel consultant to help coordinate the 6th OGP Global Summit to be held in Ottawa, Canada from May 29-31, 2019. The consultant will be primarily responsible for supporting activities related to Summit travel bookings and logistics, as well as the participant experience. The consultant is expected to be based in Washington, D.C. and work partially out of the OGP offices at the Open Gov Hub. The deadline to apply is February 28, 2019.
Senior Program Officer, Africa and the Middle East
OGP’s Country Support team is looking for a Senior Program Officer to support the French-speaking national and local OGP members across Africa. The role will lead in supporting the development and implementation of high quality, relevant and ambitious OGP action plans and provide strategic leadership for the region. Priority consideration given to qualified candidates with the ability to start by April 1, 2019.
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 and local levels in a variety of countries to assess government progress on implementation of their OGP Action Plans.
Austin, United States
Burkina Faso
Cabo Verde
Canada
Jordan
Kenya
Macedonia
Malta
Nariño, Colombia
Papua New Guinea
Scotland, United Kingdom
Tbilisi, Georgia
Publications
Skeptic’s Guide to Open Government
The Skeptic’s Guide to Open Government is now available in French and Spanish. The guide summarizes the impact of open government in five areas: public service delivery, business opportunities, government efficiency and cost saving, prevention of corruption, and trust in government.
Star Reforms in Open Government Partnership (2018)
This guide showcases a selection of 12 commitments from 2015 and 2016 action plans that the OGP Independent Reporting Mechanism awarded “star” status. They represent major steps forward in relevant policy areas and are transforming business as usual. These bold new reforms should encourage a race to the top among OGP members by highlighting ambitious and innovative approaches to tackling major public policy challenges.
Early Results of Open Government Partnership Initiatives (2018)
Starting in 2016, OGP began a publication series to capture ‘early results’ of open government commitments. In the governance world, it can take a long time to see how open government policies materialize into concrete social, economic and political benefits for citizens. But as we have learned from seven years of OGP, the journeys of reformers fighting to bring policies to fruition are eye-opening experiences which are critical to understanding the ultimate impact that policies had or did not have.
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