Remarks By Sanjay Pradhan, Chief Executive Officer, at OGP’s Five-Year Anniversary High-Level Event at the UN General Assembly 71, September 20, 2016

Excellencies, OGP leaders,

As we celebrate OGP’s impressive growth in the first five years, let me invite you to envision that we are gathered here at UNGA five years from now.  We would measure our success then not by the number of countries or commitments, but the extent to which OGP made a real difference in the lives of ordinary citizens.

So how do we get there?  OGP stakeholders have highlighted three key priorities through our ongoing consultations for OGP’s Strategic Refresh.

First, we need deeper co-creation and civic participation.  OGP has a simple but powerful goal that governments should truly serve and empower the citizens.  Government-civil society co-creation lies at the very heart of that promise because civil society amplifies the voice of the voiceless, of ordinary citizens that governments can respond to.  A critical precondition for this is that OGP Heads of States, civil society leaders and partners together protect and enhance civic space which is under attack in many countries. But beyond this, we need to make genuine and inclusive co-creation the global norm that each OGP country needs to role model. And over the next five years, OGP action plans need to go much further to institutionalize citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More in policy making, mobilize citizen feedback, including through ICT platforms, on the quality of health, educationAccountability within the public education system is key to improving outcomes and attainment, and accountability is nearly impossible without transparent policies and opportunities for participation ..., and other services that matter most to them, so governments truly respond to the concerns of ordinary citizens.

Second, we need OGP governments and CSOs to join forces to raise collective ambitionAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should “stretch government practice beyond its current baseline with respect to key areas of open government.” Ambition captures the po... and spread transformative reforms.  For instance, post-Panama papers the UK convened the Anti-corruption Summit following which OGP peer countries – UK, South Africa, France, Kenya, Norway – took actions on beneficial ownershipDisclosing beneficial owners — those who ultimately control or profit from a business — is essential for combating corruption, stemming illicit financial flows, and fighting tax evasion. Technical... More transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More so there will be no anonymous companies. We need more OGP partners to collectively spread other transformative reforms such as open contractingA transparent procurement process, known as open contracting, increases competition, improves public service delivery, and ensures governments better value for their money. Technical specifications: C... More in Ukraine so all contracts will be open, such as citizens’ social auditsInstitutional and legal frameworks are necessary for providing assurance of the integrity of financial information and of compliance with budgetary rules and procedure. Technical specifications: These... in the Philippines so citizens can monitor and report whether public spending is reaching them.  And to raise collective ambition, we need Heads of States to encourage peers in countries with waning political commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... to embrace open government to generate political dividends with their citizenry.

Third, inside OGP countries, we need to broaden collective ownership and participation in OGP, as narrow ownership and awareness is limiting impact. And here, we would request Heads of States to kindly stress to your Cabinets know that open government is a priority, support your Minister in charge, and engage with civil society. You can be the embodiment of OGP and help us all rise to the next level. But more broadly, we need ALL of you – leaders in civil society and governments at all levels – to join hands, forge coalitions and find collective courage to overcome formidable vested interests.  For the next five-year celebration at UNGA, let us measure our success by whether we galvanized a thriving global movement on open government that made a real difference in the lives of ordinary citizens around the globe.

In this movement, youthRecognizing that investing in youth means investing in a better future, OGP participating governments are creating meaningful opportunities for youth to participate in government processes. Technical ... More will play a crucial role. So let us hear now from Haydee Perez, executive director of Fundar in Mexico, one of the many strong and inspiring women from civil society driving the OGP movement.