The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a voluntary multi-stakeholder initiative that began in 2011 with the aim of securing concrete commitments from government to their citizenry to promote transparency, accountability, active citizen participation, and the use of technology and innovation to…

To be honest, the state of public services across Africa shames us.  Often, you find that public services do not meet the generally accepted standards of efficiency, regular maintenance and service delivery. In most cases, it is unknown and improbable…

Over the past year, political and social challenges have tested the relationship between civil society and government in Mexico. Not only has the government lost legitimacy in the eyes of many due to corruption and security scandals, but the most…

The P in OGP stands for Partnership.  Not just any partnership, but a unique coming together of government and civil society to make progress on critical open government reforms. The model works best if government officials and civil society activists…

In 2011, South Africa joined 7 other countries to found the Open Government Partnership (OGP). Since then, it has been joined by Ghana, Liberia, Kenya, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Malawi and most recently, Tunisia as African countries participating in the OGP.…

Just months into its mandate, the Aquino administration made a powerful push for better governance designed to reduce corruption and increase transparency, accountability and participatory decision making. The plan is anchored in the vision of Philippines President Aquino’s commitment of…

2015 will be a critical year for global development, as countries negotiate financial commitments to implement the post-2015 development agenda, eradicate poverty and drive inclusive growth. But how will these financial commitments be negotiated and what will bring governments together?…

I recently attended an energizing meeting of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in the Americas, hosted by Costa Rica.  The event attracted the participation of more than 300 government and civil society participants from 17 OGP countries across the region. …

All eyes were on Kathmandu this week, as Nepal hosted the 18th annual SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Summit from 22-27 November, 2014.  The annual meeting, convening the heads of state of the 8 member nations—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan,…

Accountability Institutions – such as Information Commissions, Ombudsman and Supreme Audit Institutions – play a fundamental role in advancing government openness. Initiatives such as the Open Government Partnership should deepen engagement with them. Transparency and accountability are key priorities of…

Want to read this blog in English? •   Lo anterior como resultado del Encuentro Regional de las Américas de la Alianza para el Gobierno Abierto (AGA), celebrado del 17 al 19 de noviembre de 2014 en San José, Costa Rica.…

¿Quieres leer este blog en español? • As one of the results of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Regional Meeting for the Americas, held from November 17 to 19, 2014 in San Jose, Costa Rica, • Representatives from Governments and…