Minimum Requirements

Category: Process | Back to Glossary

All OGP participating countries are expected to adhere to the Participation and Co-Creation Standards. Each Standard includes clear and measurable minimum requirements that all OGP participating countries must meet under the Standard. For compliance purposes, OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) will determine if there is evidence of action toward meeting the minimum requirements during each part of the OGP process (see the IRM’s guidelines here). See the OGP National Handbook for guidance on implementation.

OGP participating locals have separate minimum requirements. These requirements will be assessed by the OGP Support Unit based on evidence provided by reports from the Local Monitoring Bodies. See the OGP Local Handbook for guidance on implementation.

For OGP participating countries, minimum requirementsAll OGP participating countries are expected to adhere to the Participation and Co-Creation Standards. Each Standard includes clear and measurable minimum requirements that all OGP participating count... of the Participation and Co-Creation StandardsCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders is at the heart of the OGP process. The Participation and Co-Creation Standards are intended to support this collaboration throug... include:

Minimum requirements of Standard 1:

• A space for ongoing dialogue with participation from both government and civil society members, and other non-governmental representatives as appropriate that meets regularly (at least every six months) is established. Its basic rules on participation are public.

Minimum requirements of Standard 2:

• A public OGP website dedicated to the members participation in OGP is maintained.
• A publicly available document repositoryAccess to relevant information is essential for enabling participation and ensuring accountability throughout the OGP process. An OGP repository is an online centralized website, webpage, platform or ... on the OGP online site which provides access to documents related to the OGP process, including, at a minimum, information and evidence of the co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive... and of the implementation of commitments is maintained and regularly updated (at least twice a year).

Minimum requirements of Standard 3:

• The multi-stakeholder forumRegular dialogue between government and civil society is a core element of OGP participation. It builds trust, promotes joint problem-solving, and empowers civil society to influence the design, imple... (MSF) where established, or the government where there is no MSF, publishes on the OGP website/webpage the co-creation timeline and overview of the opportunities for stakeholders to participate at least two weeks before the start of the action planAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... development process
• The MSF where established, or the government where there is no MSF, conducts outreach activities with stakeholders to raise awareness of OGP and opportunities to get involved in the development of the action plan.
• The MSF where established, or the government where there is no MSF, develops a mechanism to gather inputs from a range of stakeholders during an appropriate period of time for the chosen mechanism.

Minimum requirements of Standard 4:

• The MSF where established, or the government where there is no MSF, documents and reports back or publishes written feedback to stakeholders on how their contributions were considered during the development of the action plan.

Minimum requirements of Standard 5:

• The MSF where established, or the government where there is no MSF, holds at least two meetings every year with civil society to present results on the implementation of the action plan and collect comments.

For OGP participating locals, minimum requirements include:

• Forum: The local government, with the support of non-governmental stakeholders, must have a space for participation in the development of and the review of the action plan.
• Regularity: The local government, with the support of non-governmental stakeholders, must hold at least one meeting with civil society and non-governmental stakeholders during the co-creation of the action plan and two meetings per year on implementation of the action plan.
• Multi-stakeholder: The local government, with the support of non-governmental stakeholders, must include both governmental and non-governmental representatives in the space for co-creation.
• Endorsement: Non-governmental stakeholders must endorse the final action plan. The government must submit, as part of the action plan, the list of names of the non-governmental stakeholders who endorse the final action plan.

See also: OGP Participation and Co-Creation Standards, Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM)The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) is OGP’s accountability arm and the main means of tracking progress in participating countries. The IRM provides independent, evidence-based, and objective ..., Local Monitoring BodyLocal Monitoring Bodies independently evaluate and assess the performance of OGP participating locals. Similar to the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) for OGP countries, these bodies assess the c...