Inception Report – Action plan – Akhaltsikhe, Georgia, 2021 – 2021
Overview
Name of Evaluator
Tamar Gzirishvili
Member
Akhaltsikhe, Georgia
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...
Section 1.
Compliance with
co-creation requirements
1.1 Does a forum exist?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Akhaltsikhe Municipality Mayor’s Office has successfully established a Citizen Advisory Council (hereinafter, Council), one of the citizen engagement mechanisms required by the Local Self-Government Code of Georgia. The role of the Council is to represent citizens’ needs and advise the Mayor of Akhaltsikhe by providing recommendations and suggestions on various initiatives. The Council consists of the representatives of private, civil, and public sectors. According to the general provision stipulating rules and procedures of the Council, the Council meets at minimum once in three months. The Council meets the requirements of a forum provided in the OGP guidelines.
Provide evidence for your answer:
- Akhaltsikhe_Citizen-Advisory-Council_General-Provision.pdf
- OGP-Local_Strategic-Vision-and-Action-Plan_Akhaltsikhe-Georgia_2021.pdf
1.2 Is the forum multi-stakeholder?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Akhaltsikhe Municipality Citizen Advisory Council has 28 members representing various sectors, among them representatives of the leading civil society organizations, businesses, academic institutions, and other interested citizens. Therefore, the forum under the Akhaltsikhe Municipality Mayor’s Office is multi-stakeholder and meets OGP requirements.
Provide evidence for your answer:
- OGP-Local_Strategic-Vision-and-Action-Plan_Akhaltsikhe-Georgia_20211.pdf
- List-of-Members-of-Akhaltsikhe-Municipality-Citizen-Advisory-Council.pdf
- Akhaltsikhe_Citizen-Advisory-Council_General-Provision1.pdf
1.3 Does the forum hold at least one meeting with civil society and non-governmental stakeholders during the co-creation of the action plan?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Covid-19 pandemic has significantly altered the work of the government institutions, including the meetings of the forum, and therefore, affected 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.... During the design process of the action plan (AP), a minimum of three meetings were held (online and telephone) with the partner organization of Akhaltsikhe Municipality Samtskhe-Javakheti Development Center, also a member of the OGP forum. Additionally, the vision and priorities of the Mayor’s Office with regards to the new action plan were presented and discussed at one of the meetings of the local OGP forum at the outset of the co-creation process in 2021. The Vice Mayor of Akhaltsikhe presented the main directions of the municipality envisioned in the upcoming action plan, including fight against corruption, which was endorsed by the forum members.
1.4 Has the action plan been endorsed by the stakeholders of the forum or steering committeeThe Steering Committee is OGP’s executive decision-making body. Its role is to develop, promote and safeguard OGP’s values, principles and interests; establish OGP’s core ideas, policies, and ru.../group?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
During the development of the Akhaltsikhe OGP local action plan, the director of the Samstkhe-Javakheti Development Center was actively involved in the process. The organization was named as a partner of the government in the AP, and therefore, the document was endorsed by the representative of the organization, Nino Lomidze. According to Nino Lomidze, the members of the Akhaltsikhe OGP forum (Citizen Advisory Council) endorsed priority directions of the Mayor’s Office presented at the forum. However, it is important to note that the meeting was held at the inception of the action plan development process and it is unclear if the action plan draft was discussed at a later stage.
Provide evidence for your answer:
Section 2.
Recommended practices
in co-creation
2.1 Does the government maintain a Local OGP website or webpage on a government website where information on the OGP Local process (co-creation and implementation) is proactively published?
Unclear
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
According to the representatives of the Mayor’s Office, during the development of the action plan, the draft of the document was published on the official municipal webpage. However, the Mayor’s Office was unable to confirm the fact or provide evidence. There is no designated section on the official municipal webpage of Akhaltsikhe for OGP and co-creation process-related materials. As for general information regarding the municipality’s participation in the OGP process, the government has published general information regarding the OGP process on the official webpage, as well as on its Facebook page. However, the posts do not include detailed information on the co-creation process.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.2 Did the government provide information to stakeholders in advance to facilitate informed and prepared participation in the co-creation process?
Unclear
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
It is unclear if the government proactively published OGP-related information in order to ensure 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 the co-creation process. According to the representatives of the Mayor’s Office, they actively discussed the matter at any possible platform. However, no active steps were made to ensure citizen participation. The Mayor’s Office was unable to provide evidence of publishing the draft of the AP on the webpage. That said, the government has published general information regarding the OGP process on the official webpage, as well as on its Facebook page. While the posts contain general facts about the municipality’s participation in OGP, they do not provide detailed information, which would support citizen participation in the co-creation process.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.3 Did the government ensure that any interested member of the public could make inputs into the action plan and observe or have access to decision-making documentation?
Unclear
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
According to the representatives of the Akhaltsikhe Mayor’s Office, they actively spread the word about OGP processes and possible participation channels with the stakeholders. However, even though citizens could provide their initiatives and feedback through various channels including telephone, or the official webpage or Facebook page of the municipality, during the development of the AP no suggestions were submitted. Therefore, even though the channels for participation existed, the government has not made any proactive steps to ensure citizen participation. According to the partner organization of the municipality, Samtskhe-Javakheti Development Center, the suggestion to use Citizen Advisory Council platform as a local OGP forum came from the civil society and was approved by the Mayor’s Office. However, there were no suggestions submitted specifically related to the commitments.
2.4 Did the government proactively report back or provide written feedback to stakeholders on how their contributions were considered during the creation of the action plan?
No
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The only suggestion made by civil society in the co-creation process belonged to the Samtkhe-Javakheti Development Center regarding utilization of the Citizen Advisory Council as a local OGP forum, which was granted by the Mayor’s Office. The representatives of the Mayor’s Office were unable to name any other suggestions from the civil society regarding the strategic vision and the commitments in the AP.
2.5 Was there an iterative dialogue and shared ownership between government and non-governmental stakeholders during the decision making process, including setting the agenda?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
During the development of the Akhaltsikhe local AP there was a dialogue with the civil sector. Efforts include discussion of the AP directions at the forum and regular meetings with the partner organization Samtskhe-Javakheti Development Center. While there did not seem to be a wider conversation among the stakeholders in the AP development process, the said organization was actively engaged in the co-creation process, including participation in the meetings between the Mayor’s Office and the OGP support unitThe OGP Support Unit is a small, permanent group of staff that work closely with the Steering Committee and the Independent Reporting Mechanism to advance the goals of the Open Government Partnership.....
2.6 Would you consider the forum to be inclusive and diverse?
Very
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Akhaltsikhe Municipality OGP forum is inclusive and diverse. The forum consists of 28 members representing different sectors. Among them are representatives of the leading civil society organizations, businesses, academic institutions, and other interested citizens. Anyone interested in joining the forum can address the Mayor and engage in the work of the Council.
Provide evidence for your answer:
Section 3. Initial evaluation of commitments
Improvement of Corruption Risk Management in the Akhaltsikhe Municipality
1.1 Is the commitment verifiable?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment text provides clearly identifiable activities and measurable deliverables for the achievement of the commitment’s objective. The objective of the commitment is to develop a corruption risk assessment methodology based on the needs of the municipality and conduct an assessment of the Mayor’s Office and its subordinate entities based on the approved methodology. The commitment has three milestones: 1) Conducting situation analysis of the Mayor’s Office and its subordinate entities to analyze their work and provide a preliminary assessment of the corruption risks (result: initial assessment and findings); 2) Developing and approving corruption risks assessment methodology (result: approved methodology), 3) Assessing corruption risks related to the work of the Mayor’s Office and its subordinate entities (result: assessment report). All the milestones are easily verifiable. The commitment provided specific deadlines for the milestone implementation.
Provide evidence for your answer:
1.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevanceAccording to the OGP Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should include a clear open government lens. Specifically, they should advance at least one of the OGP values: transparency, citizen partic... to OGP values?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment language clearly justifies relevance to OGP value, namely, public accountabilityAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, public accountability occurs when ”rules, regulations, and mechanisms in place call upon government actors to justify their actions, act upon criticisms ... More. The AP explains that adopting a corruption risk assessment methodology will help Akhaltsikhe municipality better detect corruption risks in a timely manner and address them within the Mayor’s Office and its subordinate entities. The assessment conducted according to the adopted methodology will ensure appropriate utilization of public resources and increase the integrity of the employees of the local government, which will contribute to the improvement of public accountability of the Mayor’s Office.
Provide evidence for your answer:
1.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
a new regulationGovernment reformers are developing regulations that enshrine values of transparency, participation, and accountability in government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or reforming ..., policy, practice or requirement.
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Strengthening anti-corruption mechanisms at the local level is one of the strategic priorities laid out in Georgia’s Decentralization Strategy 2020-2025, as well as the National Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2019-2020. That said, monitoring and management of corruption risks within the municipal bodies is a new practice in Akhaltsikhe municipality and a step forward not only for Akhaltsikhe but generally, at the local government level in Georgia.
Provide evidence for your answer:
1.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
is a positive change to a process, practice or policy but will not generate a binding or institutionalized change across government or specific institution(s).
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The said commitment is a big step forward for the municipality towards improving internal business and increasing public accountability of the municipal government. That said, in order to ensure the sustainability of the practice and long-term application, steps must be taken to institutionalize the practice in the Mayor’s Office. Namely, while a step forward, the government must exhibit political will and adopt specific mechanisms for implementation through internal regulations and rules of procedure to ensure long-term application of the assessment.
Provide evidence for your answer:
1.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?
● Awareness of the employees: During the implementation process, it will be important to raise the awareness of the employees regarding the meaning of corruption and corruption risks in order to ensure their informed participation during the initial assessment and development of the methodology.
● Skills: It is important to support the development of relevant skills of the employees of the Mayor’s Office and its subordinate entities to enable them to carry out corruption risk assessments according to the adopted methodology.
● After the adoption of corruption risks methodology, the government must take a formal obligation to conduct assessments, and clearly define the regularity of the assessments to ensure institutionalization of the practice. Adopting relevant internal regulations specifying responsible persons, their roles and responsibilities, and other details are recommended.
● 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 and public participationGiving citizens opportunities to provide input into government decision-making leads to more effective governance, improved public service delivery, and more equitable outcomes. Technical specificatio...: During the development of the methodology it is recommended to solicit feedback from the citizens, as well as to inform them regarding the process, including the non-sensitive part of the final assessment findings.
2. Commitment :
Improving open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici... management practices in Akhaltsikhe Municipality City Hall
2.1 Is the commitment verifiable?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment text provides clearly identifiable activities and measurable deliverables for the achievement of the commitment’s objective. The objective of the commitment is to improve open data management and publication in Akhaltsikhe Municipality. The commitment has three milestones: 1) Defining the categories of data to be published in an open format with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders (result: categories of data to be published), 2) Adjusting the existing databases according to the open data standards and publishing them on the municipal webpage (result: the minimum of 20 databases are published on the website). Both milestones are easily verifiable. Deadlines of the milestones are provided in the AP.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevance to OGP values?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment language clearly justifies its relevance to OGP values, namely, access to information and technology and innovation for transparency and accountability. The AP explains that the said commitment will improve the practice of open data management in the Mayor’s Office and its subordinate entities, which will increase access to information held by the government and the transparency of the government. Publishing databases in open format using technologies will increase public accountability of the Mayor’s Office and its subordinate entities.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
a continuation of ongoing practice in line with existing legislationCreating and passing legislation is one of the most effective ways of ensuring open government reforms have long-lasting effects on government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or r..., policies or requirements.
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment is a continuation of existing practice in line with the existing legislation and policy of the municipality. In 2018-2019 Akhaltsikhe municipality took a commitment to adopt Increasing Transparency and Accountability Strategy and Action plan and Open Data Action Plan. The documents were drafted and adopted with the support of the development partner USAID GGI and local stakeholders. The commitment under the current OGP AP supports the implementation of the existing strategic documents and therefore, is a continuation of the practice under the existing policy.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
is a positive change to a process, practice or policy but will not generate a binding or institutionalized change across government or specific institution(s).
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment is a big step towards the improvement of access to information in Akhaltsikhe municipality, which is one of the strategic policy priorities of the local government. However, while the commitment will be beneficial for opening up the government, the commitment text does not ensure the institutionalization of the practice. In order to ensure sustainability and long-term application of the practice, internal regulations specifying the procedure for data management as well as specific responsible persons within the institution must be defined.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?
● Awareness of the employees: During the implementation process, it will be important to raise the awareness of the employees regarding the importance of open data for increasing transparency of the government in order to ensure that the priority is internalized as a value among the government employees, and the continuity of the practice is ensured.
● Skills: It is important to support the development of relevant skills of the employees of the Mayor’s Office and its subordinate entities with regards to open data in order to ensure that all employees contribute to maintaining open data relevant to their work, even if data management is not their direct responsibility.
● Institutionalization: In order to achieve a bigger impact, it is important to ensure the continuity of the commitment through the adoption of internal regulations defining the obligation and relevant procedure for open data management, as well as designated persons coordinating open data management and publication.
● Transparency and public participation: It is important to ensure the participation of the stakeholders in compiling data categories to be published, as well as to inform the citizens regarding the commitment and the progress made under the OGP framework to ensure utilization of the published information.
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