Netherlands Action Plan Review 2020-2022 – For Public Comment

In 2021, 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 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... Review for the Netherlands’ fourth action plan. The report provides a technical review of the action plan’s characteristics and the strengths and challenges the IRM identifies to inform a stronger implementation process.

In the Netherlands, the IRM’s findings are summarized below:

The Netherlands’ fourth action plan addresses some issues of key relevanceAccording to the OGP Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should include a clear open government lens. Specifically, they should advance at least one of the OGP values: transparency, citizen partic... to the domestic political context, such as freedom of information, open contractingA transparent procurement process, known as open contracting, increases competition, improves public service delivery, and ensures governments better value for their money. Technical specifications: C... More, and open technology. Full implementation would also position the country as a global pioneer in political party financing 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 the registration and management of public service complaints. The commitments were developed through strong processes involving cross-government and civil society consultations. Implementation will benefit from involvement of external experts for objective learning and comparison with global best practice, and from support for synergies between commitments.

The report is available in English and in Dutch. The public comment period closed 3 August 2021.