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Growing the Family of #OpenGov: Introducing the New OGP Local Participants!

Ampliando la Familia de #GobAbierto: ¡Nuevos miembros de OGP Local!

Brittany Giroux Lane|

Reproductive health in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Women-led data collection in Bojonegoro, Indonesia.

Inequality in Austin, Texas.

Water service expenses and quality in Kigoma, Tanzania.

Lobbying reforms in Madrid, Spain.

 

These are just a few of the issues that were tackled by OGP Local governments in the past year. These governments made commitments to improve the lives of their citizens through open government at the local level – and have done quite well.

The OGP Local first cohort of fifteen has been an active, involved group. In a turbulent year for governments around the world, the Local program’s participants have brought citizens closer to their governments, creating a robust sense of trust and collaboration between them.

When the time came to decide the fate of the Local program, the decision was not if it should continue – but rather, in what form. How many new local governments could join? What was OGP looking for? What did citizens really need?

The Steering Committee (SC) approved the expansion of the OGP Local Program (formerly known as the Subnational Pilot) at its September 2017 meeting in New York City, and OGP launched a call for expressions of interest for five new subnational governments to join the OGP.

In the end, keeping in mind regional balance, socio-economic balance, size, type of government, etc., we picked five new participants out of a strong, inspirational group of 32 applicants. The new five participants that will join the OGP Local cohort are as follows:

All twenty OGP Local participants are co-creating their action plans, working with civil society to develop and implement ambitious open government reforms. We’re excited to welcome these new participants, and help them improve lives through transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement. Additionally, we look forward to continuing collaboration with all interested open local governments and civil society partners through a developing Community of Practice.

We hope our new participants can learn from the powerful precedents the original fifteen OGP Local pioneers have set to guide them forward in co-creating and implementing their action plans. Watch this space – and follow #OGPLocal on Twitter – to keep up with their growth!

Open Government Partnership