Burkina Faso Design Report 2019-2021
- Action Plan: Burkina Faso Action Plan 2019-2021
- Dates Under Review: 2019-2021
- Report Publication Year: 2021
Burkina Faso improved the co creation process for the second 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... with increased 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 access to information. It resulted in an action plan that addresses priorities surfaced during consultations (including transparency in the mining sector, inclusionOGP participating governments are working to create governments that truly serve all people. Commitments in this area may address persons with disabilities, women and girls, lesbian, gay, bisexual, tr... More of genderOGP participating governments are bringing gender perspectives to popular policy areas, ensuring diversity in participatory processes, and specifically targeting gender gaps in policies to address gov... More and youthRecognizing that investing in youth means investing in a better future, OGP participating governments are creating meaningful opportunities for youth to participate in government processes. Technical ... More and taxPlacing transparency, accountability, and participation at the center of tax policy can ensure that burdens are distributed equitably across society. Technical specifications: Commitments related to c... collection at the local level) as well as government priorities (security and good governance). Moving forward, Burkina Faso should ensure the timely publication of the budget’s audit report and public access to asset declarations and consider expanding the work on the beneficial ownershipDisclosing beneficial owners — those who ultimately control or profit from a business — is essential for combating corruption, stemming illicit financial flows, and fighting tax evasion. Technical... More register and improve governance of the extractive sector in future action plans.
| Table 1. At a glance
Participating since: 2016 Action plan development Action plan design |
The Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More (OGP) is a global partnership that brings together government reformers and civil society leaders to create action plans that make governments more inclusive, responsive, and accountable. The 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 ... monitors all action plans to ensure governments follow through on commitments. Burkina Faso joined the OGP in 2016. This report covers the development and design of Burkina Faso’s second action plan for 2019-2021.
General overview of action plan
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... for this action plan improved in terms of transparency and access to information vis-à-vis the process of their first action plan. It had significant participation from non-governmental actors with opportunities to provide input and receive feedback on how their contributions were considered. Nonetheless, not all advocacy and awareness-raising activities took place, and in some instances, the mechanisms for engagement did not ensure the participation of all actors and the quality of input, mainly due to insufficient financial resources.
The current action plan comprises commitments that are organized in 5 policy areas: civic participation, transparency, public administration effectiveness, equality and social justice, and access to information. The action plan reflects some of the priority needs discussed during consultations, such as transparency in the mining sector and inclusion of gender and youth (new areas), and tax collection at the local level. The action plan addresses priority areas of government such as security and good governance. Compared to the 2017-2019 action plan, the current action plan is more diverse, not focusing primarily on tackling corruption and improving access to information (Freedom of Information Act). While some commitments have an ultimate objective to enhance civic engagement and participation, the mechanisms used to achieve this objective tend toward information campaigns rather than active participatory processes. Burkina Faso still faces some challenges regarding budget transparency that affect its OGP Eligibility Score[i], particularly due to the decrease in availability of budget information for not producing the Audit Report[ii].
Table 2. Noteworthy commitments
| CommitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... description | Moving forward | Status at the end of implementation cycle |
| Commitment 4: Implement the reform on the obligation for taxpayers other than politicians to declare interest and wealth | To maximize transparency, ensure public access to information on asset declarations, equip ASCE-LC to process the asset declarations with the new platform, provide staff with resources to verify the accuracy of asset declarations and strengthen mechanisms to ensure sanctions against officials who fail to submit them. Finally, consider participatory auditsInstitutional and legal frameworks are necessary for providing assurance of the integrity of financial information and of compliance with budgetary rules and procedure. Technical specifications: These... that enable civil society organizations to contribute to verification and oversight efforts. | Note: this will be assessed at the end of the action plan cycle. |
| Commitment 5: Modernize the civil status system by using the innovative and integrated technological solution “ICIVIL” in the six launching communes | Ensure that birth registration data is secure, with civil society involvement in developing and implementing safeguards on data use, and publicly available assessments related to the ethics, human rightsAn essential part of open government includes protecting the sacred freedoms and rights of all citizens, including the most vulnerable groups, and holding those who violate human rights accountable. T..., and fairness of data processing. Expand the ICIVIL platform to other communes and aim to increase accuracy of data by standardizing the civil register. | Note: this will be assessed at the end of the action plan cycle. |
| Commitment 7: Improving access of vulnerable people to the Legal AidMore and better information about aid helps partner countries and donor institutions plan and manage aid resources more effectively, parliaments and civil society to hold governments accountable for t... Fund | Prioritize timely disbursements to the Legal Assistance Fund; continue the expansion of coverage and resources; consider evaluations that help identify factors that may be preventing citizens from applying for legal assistance to address them in the program’s design and; improve access to information about laws and procedures to enable individuals to identify their legal needs and sources of legal advice. | Note: this will be assessed at the end of the action plan cycle. |
| Commitment 9: Increase the representation of women in decision-making spheres | The IRM recommends addressing other barriers preventing women’s engagement in public life, like promoting citizenry educationAccountability within the public education system is key to improving outcomes and attainment, and accountability is nearly impossible without transparent policies and opportunities for participation ... with an emphasis on gender equality in the nation’s education system, increase support for women candidates in financing, media exposure and advocacy. Additionally, ensure sanctions are imposed for non-compliance of the quota law. | Note: this will be assessed at the end of the action plan cycle. |
Recommendations
IRM recommendations aim to inform the development of the next action plan and guide implementation of the current action plan. Please refer to Section V: General Recommendations for more details on each of the below recommendations.
Table 3. Five KEY IRM Recommendations
| Develop a strategy to ensure the sustainability of the open government agenda and OGP action plans by addressing issues with the eligibility score like ensuring the timely publication of the budget’s audit report. |
| Leverage open government principles in an open response and open recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Strengthen the open government focus of commitments by going beyond the publication of data to include meaningful participation of citizens in decision making (e.g. creating local spaces and capacities for 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 and deliberation on budgets or creating opportunities for participatory audits, involving citizens at the local level in oversight activities along with oversight institutions) |
| Expand the work on the beneficial ownership register and improve governance of the extractive sector in future action plans. |
| Align and articulate the connections between commitments that aim at building institutional capacities in government, so they become instrumental to the policy reforms prioritized in the action plan. |
[i] Database of OGP Eligibility Scores: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PK_bRjYYZrYClLTGWwW0R9Z3qpfcqUgT7WZNyIpId9Y/edit#gid=1406221191
[ii] Open Budget Survey, Burkina Faso, 2019: https://www.internationalbudget.org/sites/default/files/country-surveys-pdfs/2019/open-budget-survey-burkina-faso-2019-en.pdf
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