This post is part of a blog series we are running over the next few weeks to highlight core open government issues and give you ideas to consider as you develop your new action plan. Last week, we focused on natural resources governance. This week we take a look at how budget processes can be opened up for increased citizen participation.
-The OGP Support Unit

The budget is the single most powerful tool that a government can use to improve the lives of its citizens. It is where policy meets public resources — where decisions about raising and spending public money turn promises and commitments into real investments in programs and services. Not only do the people have the right to know how their government is spending their money, they can play an essential role in improving budget decisions, implementation, and accountability. In other words, if open and effective governance is your goal, countries must have open and accountable budgets.

Nos estamos preparando para un verano muy ocupado, pues se llevarán a cabo dos reuniones regionales importantes. La reunión regional de África en Ciudad del Cabo, Sudáfrica del 4 al 6 de mayo del 2016 y la reunión regional de América en Montevideo, Uruguay del 31 de mayo al 2 de junio de 2016.

Los esfuerzos de OGP están fundamentados en los eventos que permiten la colaboración entre los gobiernos y líderes de la sociedad civil en los que se discuten propuestas de gobierno abierto para abordar retos de política pública con un impacto positivo en la vida de los ciudadanos. Estos eventos están diseñados para capturar el espíritu y la energía e innovación del movimiento de gobierno abierto.

This post is part of a blog series that we are running over the next few weeks to highlight core open government issues and give you ideas to consider as you develop your new action plan. With the conclusion of the the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative’s flagship conference EITI Conference in Peru, we want to continue the conversation on how open government tools can be used to improve natural resources governance.

-The OGP Support Unit

Three ways to improve natural resource governance in your next Action Plan

We know how critical the natural resource sector can be for a country’s development. However, only about 10% of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) commitments relate to natural resources. The drafting of new national action plans (NAPs) by June 2016 offers a unique opportunity to increase the commitment to good governance of the oil, gas, mining, and forestry industries. The OGP Openness in Natural Resources Working Group (ONRWG) has come up with three priorities that resource-rich countries should consider to improve the sector.

The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) is an international initiative that seeks to increase transparency in relation to the payments made to hydrocarbon and mining companies, as well as the income that governments receive from taxes and royalties from these companies. The Initiative’s importance lies not only in making the flows of cash between extractive industries and the government more transparent, but also in its process of collective governance which recognizes the relevance of the private sector and civil society in improving the management of natural resources. This aligns with the principles of open government, which promote a new model of development based on inclusive institutions.