Latvia Implementation Report 2017-2019 – 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 Implementation Report for Latvia’s third 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... (2017-2019). The report covers the level of completionImplementers must follow through on their commitments for them to achieve impact. For each commitment, OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) evaluates the degree to which the activities outlin... More and the results of the action plan.

In Latvia, the IRM researcher Zinta Miezaine’s findings are summarized below:

“Latvia’s third action plan saw significant improvements in open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici..., access to budget information, and 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 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. Other commitments effected incremental, positive steps in areas including whistleblower protection, lobbyingLobbying transparency allows the public to ensure that there is diversity of participation and contribution to public decision-making. Technical specifications: Policies and actions affecting lobbying... regulations for public officials, and governance of state-owned enterprises. Latvia’s fourth action plan will cover several of the same areas from the third plan, like lobbying transparency, as well as several new areas, such as open government at the local level and anticorruption in the healthcare sector.”

And in Latvian:

“Latvijas trešajā rīcības plānā ir ievērojami uzlabojumi atvērto datu jomā, informācijas pieejamībā par budžetu un patieso labuma guvēju atklātības nodrošināšanā. Pārējo apņemšanos kontekstā veikti pakāpeniski, pozitīva rakstura pasākumi tādās jomās kā trauksmes cēlēju aizsardzība, lobēšanas noteikumi valsts amatpersonām un valsts kapitālsabiedrību vadība. Latvijas ceturtais Rīcības plāns aptvers vairākas jomas, kas bijušas iekļautas trešajā plānā, piemēram, lobēšanas atklātums, kā arī vairākas jaunas jomas, piemēram, vietējā līmeņa atvērtā pārvaldība un korupcijas novēršana veselības aprūpes nozarē.”

The version of the report for public comment is available in English and in Latvian below. The two-week public comment closed July 19, 2020.