2024 Government Steering Committee Elections

Updated April 10, 2024

Five government seats will open in the Steering Committee (SC) on October 1, 2024, as the current terms of Estonia, Morocco, Nigeria, Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom come to an end. Out of these five countries, Nigeria and the Republic of Korea will leave the Steering Committee after having served the maximum allowed two consecutive terms. Estonia, Morocco and the United Kingdom are eligible to run for a second term.

The deadline for candidates is May 22, 2024. Learn more about the Steering Committee, and how to submit a letter of candidacy below. 

About the OGP Steering Committee

The Steering Committee consists of 22 members, with parity between governments and civil society, each comprising eleven members. Members serve for a three-year term, with the possibility of serving for up to two consecutive terms (requiring re-election). Terms for all members commence on October 1 of the election year.

The role of the Steering Committee is to develop, promote and advance OGP’s strategic direction. As stewards of the Partnership, the Steering Committee utilizes the collective and individual influence of its members to garner political support for OGP, motivate and inspire the open government community towards achieving Partnership objectives, and enhance OGP’s international profile. As the central governance body, it also establishes rules and policies while safeguarding the Partnership’s values and procedures.

As advocates for the Partnership, Steering Committee members play a crucial role in promoting collective action on key thematic issues and other OGP priorities. This is achieved through active participation in high-level OGP events such as global/regional summits, often attended by ministers and Heads of State/Government, as well as other international opportunities to promote open government.

In addition to advocacy and global positioning efforts, Steering Committee members are expected to actively engage in Steering Committee and subcommittee meetings, including at ministerial level when necessary. The Steering Committee convenes at least twice annually, once at ‘working-level’ (represented by the government’s OGP point of contact) and once at ministerial level (represented by the Minister responsible for the OGP portfolio in the country). Meetings may be conducted virtually and/or in person, with additional issue-specific or opt-in briefings throughout the year.

As the leadership body of OGP, the Steering Committee is occasionally required to speak out when other OGP members fail to uphold OGP values (e.g. expressing concern regarding declining civic space), or in response to emerging crisis situations. These situations often demand a prompt response, such as issuing an official statement within days. Given the significant international aspect of the Committee’s role, governments represented on the Steering Committee are encouraged to collaborate closely with their foreign ministry counterparts and designate a focal point within their Ministry of Foreign Affairs for liaising with OGP to streamline coordination efforts. In certain situations, representatives from Foreign Ministries may also need to engage in diplomatic outreach and coordination with other foreign ministries to establish a common stance while fulfilling their governance responsibilities.

Steering Committee members are also expected to lead by example by upholding OGP values, adhering to OGP processes to co- create and implement ambitious open government reforms, and supporting OGP’s fundraising efforts, including by fulfilling their country’s financial contributions.

Criteria to run for a government seat on the Steering Committee 

In order to join the Steering Committee, according to the Articles of Governance, a country must have:

1. Improved or maintained their Core Eligibility Scores since submitting a letter of intent to join OGP;
2. Acted in accordance with the OGP Declaration (i.e. must not have an active Response Policy case open);
3. Acted in accordance with OGP processes for the most recently completed Action Plan cycle (i.e. must not have acted Contrary to Process);
4. Paid their financial contribution to OGP, as set out in Article VI.B; and
5. Complied with OGP’s minimum Participation and Co-creation Standards.

In addition to the above requirements, current government members of the Steering Committee running for re-election must have regularly attended and actively participated in meetings of the Steering Committee and its subcommittees, with ministerial-level participation where applicable.

Process to submit candidacy

Eligible governments must submit a letter of candidacy addressed to the current Lead Co-Chairs:

Korir Sing’Oei, Principal Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Government of Kenya; and Blair Glencorse, Co-CEO of Accountability Lab.

Candidacy letters should outline the government’s motivation to stand for election and express the candidate’s commitment to lead by example in their own OGP processes and participation, including by upholding the values and principles of OGP, meeting the minimum expectations in the co-creation and implementation of action plans, and fulfilling annual country contributions.

While there is no specific format/template, letters should aim to address the following questions:

• What strengths will your government bring to the Steering Committee?
• How do you envision contributing to advancing OGP’s new strategic direction for 2023-2028 and assuming an external leadership role?
• In which areas of the OGP Strategy do you foresee your government contributing towards achieving its goals?
• How would you utilize the Steering Committee role to advocate for a more robust OGP process within your own country?
• What roles do you foresee other branches of your government playing should you be elected to the Steering Committee? (e.g., Head of State/Government, foreign affairs, parliament, other ministries, etc.)

Please submit letters of candidacy to the OGP Support Unit through jaime.mercado@opengovpartnership.org by 5:00 p.m. ET of May 22, 2024.

Selection & Voting process

If the number of candidates exceeds the available seats, voting will be necessary. After the application deadline passes, all eligible* governments will receive the list of candidates and voting instructions via email. They will then have two weeks to submit their online ballots. The voting process is managed by a third-party company, and the Support Unit will only receive the final results without any disaggregation. Ballots are confidential and will not be disclosed or published. Further information on the voting procedure will be provided in due course.

*Governments currently placed under inactive or suspended status pursuant to the Response Policy and/or Procedural Review are not eligible to participate in SC elections. Members of the OGP Local programme are also currently not eligible to participate in these elections.

Composition & Regional Balance of the Steering Committee

The Steering Committee is composed of 22 members (11 from national governments and 11 from civil society), with parity maintained between the two constituencies. Steering Committee members serve for a term of three years and may serve for a maximum of two consecutive terms (must be re-elected). All Steering Committee terms begin on October 1 of the year in which they are elected. The government SC composition (including the five with terms ending in 2024) is as follows:

Per the Articles of Governance, the SC should be composed of a minimum ofone and a maximum of four governments from each of the four regions (Africa, Americas, Asia and Europe). For this election cycle, all regions already meet the minimum balance required. However, the maximum possible allocation per region of the five seats opening up this year is as follows: up to three from Africa; up to two from Americas; up to three from Asia-Pacific; and up to two from Europe.

Timeline for the 2024 Government Elections