From Informing to Empowering: Best Practices and Recommendations for Improving Government – Civil Society Interactions within OGP

The work in this publication was commissioned by Hivos and was carried out with the 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... of a wider OGP research grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

Civic engagement is at the heart of OGP. However given the nascence of the initiative, we are still learning about the extent and the way governments and the civil society interact within the framework of OGP. This report contributes to this knowledge and examines the critical factors for the success or failure of government-civil society interaction. The key purpose of the research was to inform 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.... and 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... members of possible areas for improvement when it comes to guidelines and support to government and civil society.

Results of our research show that the OGP process represents both challenges and opportunities. A structured approach to government-civil society interaction has proved to be a key opportunity. This includes the existence of a permanent dialogue mechanism that oversees the development and implementation of a country’s National 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... (NAP); united civil society actors that pursue OGP related issues; and the OGP format and guidelines that provide a solid framework for discussion between government and civil society. All of these mechanisms foster 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. They also help to empower civil society and have the potential to enhance its voice, as well as to facilitate interaction with governments.

At the same time, a significant challenge turns out to be the complexity and the technical nature of OGP commitments. Only a narrow circle of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are usually involved in the OGP process, while citizens and smaller NGOs far from the national capitals often lack the capacity to engage in consultations or simply remain excluded. On the government side, there is a clear need to build capacity among civil servants to carry out effective and responsive consultations.

From Informing To Empowering: Best Practices And Recommendations For Improving Government-Civil Society Interactions Within OGP