Czech Republic Design Report 2018-2020 – For Public Comment

In 2020, 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 ... published the Design Report for the Czech Republic’s fourth 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... (2018-2020). The report covers the development of the action plan and the design of its commitments.

In the Czech Republic, the IRM’s findings are summarized below:

“The Czech Republic’s fourth action plan was developed through an open and consultative process but did not gain sufficient visibility to reach a wide spectrum of actors. The commitments mainly derive from existing government programs and are focused on 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 of the justiceTo address barriers that prevent citizens from having their justice needs met, OGP participating governments are working to expand transparency, accountability, and inclusion into all systems of justi... system and opening up 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 ... data. Given the priorities of civil society, the next action plan could prioritize more transformative actions on civic participation, judicial transparency, and whistleblower protection.”

And in Czech:

“Čtvrtý akční plán České republiky sice vznikl na základě otevřeného a poradního procesu, nepodařilo se jej však zviditelnit natolik, aby byl znám dostatečně širokému spektru možných zúčastněných stran. Jednotlivé závazky akčního plánu jsou většinou odvozeny ze stávajících vládních programů a zaměřují se na transparentnost českého soudnictví a otevírání dat týkajících se školství a vzdělávání. S ohledem na priority občanské společnosti by měl další akční plán zahrnovat účinnější kroky směrem k rozsáhlejšímu zapojení veřejnosti, otevřenosti, výraznější transparentnosti soudnictví a vyšší ochraně oznamovatelů protiprávního jednání.”

The version of the report for public comment is available in English and in Czech below.  The two-week public comment period closed 21 April 2020.