Portugal Design Report 2018–2020 – For Public Comment

In 2019, 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 Portugal’s first 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 Portugal, the IRM researcher Miguel Pereira’s findings are summarized below:

“Portugal’s first OGP action plan joins a series of government-led efforts to promote 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 civic engagement in the political process. Participating civil society and government representatives in the multi-stakeholder forumRegular dialogue between government and civil society is a core element of OGP participation. It builds trust, promotes joint problem-solving, and empowers civil society to influence the design, imple... praised 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... to develop the plan as a major milestone achievement for consultations in Portugal. Two commitments could potentially transform the areas of public consultations and access to public procurementTransparency in the procurement process can help combat corruption and waste that plagues a significant portion of public procurement budgets globally. Technical specifications: Commitments that aim t... More information, while others are limited in scope. Moving forward, promoting more channels for public inputs in the co-creation process could be prioritized.”

And in Portuguese:

“O primeiro plano de ação da OGP em Portugal junta-se a um conjunto de iniciativas lideradas pelo governo para promover transparência e envolvimento público no processo político. Representantes da sociedade civil e do governo no fórum multilateral reconheceram que o processo de co-criação do plano de ação representa um marco importante para o desenvolvimento de políticas públicas em Portugal. Dois compromissos têm um potencial transformativo na área de consultas públicas e contratação pública. Outros compromissos têm um alcance mais limitado. No futuro, deveria ser dada prioridade à criação de mais canais para a participação pública no processo de co-criação.”

The version of the report for public comment is available in English and in Portuguese below. The two-week public comment period closed 11 October 2019.