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Canada, Italy, and Kenya Elected to Guide the Open Government Partnership

Le Canada, l'Italie et le Kenya sont choisis pour guider le Partenariat pour un gouvernement ouvert

Washington, D.C. – Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the governments of Canada, Italy, and Kenya have been elected by their peers to serve for three years on the Steering Committee of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) starting October 1. Almost ten years after it was founded, OGP brings together government leaders and civil society advocates in seventy-eight countries and a growing number of local governments to promote accountable, responsive and inclusive governance.

OGP CEO Sanjay Pradhan welcomed the announcement and congratulated the three governments on being elected to lead this global partnership. “We warmly welcome these governments joining the Steering Committee at a time when democracy was already facing its greatest threat and now amidst the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic. The leadership role of our Steering Committee is critical to bringing together governments, civil society, and other stakeholders to ensure open and effective response and recovery that builds citizen trust and reinvigorates democracy post-COVID-19.” 

Led by the Government of Argentina and Robin Hodess, the Steering Committee’s main role is to develop, promote and safeguard the values, principles and interests of OGP. The Steering Committee also establishes the core ideas, policies, and rules of the partnership, and oversees its functioning. 

“The Government of Argentina congratulates Canada, Italy and Kenya on their election as government members of the Steering Committee. We look forward  to working together to leverage our leadership role to shape and deliver on OGP’s ambitious vision to build more transparent, inclusive, and participatory governments” said Cesar Gazzo Huck, Undersecretary of Open Government and Digital Nation of Argentina. 

The Steering Committee consists of 22 members – 11 from government and 11 from civil society. This is the seventh rotation of the OGP Steering Committee since OGP was launched in September 2011. As per the OGP Articles of Governance, all eligible OGP participating governments vote to elect new government representatives to the Steering Committee each year.

Earlier this year, the OGP Steering Committee met in Berlin to discuss the state of open government and endorsed a three-year implementation plan that provides a roadmap for better implementation of OGP’s mission and vision, given both OGP’s growth and the changed operating environment. As part of this and to scale up support for all levels of government, OGP launched a call for expressions of interest for up to 50 new local governments to join the Partnership.

The three elected governments will start their new terms on October 1 alongside three new civil society leaders who will be selected by the open government community in the coming weeks. Learn more about the selection process for the civil society representatives of the OGP Steering Committee here.

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About OGP:

In 2011, government leaders and civil society advocates came together to create a unique partnership—one that combines these powerful forces to promote accountable, responsive and inclusive governance.

Seventy-eight countries and a growing number of local governments—representing more than two billion people—along with thousands of civil society organizations are members of the Open Government Partnership (OGP).

For questions or to set up interviews please contact: Jose Perez Escotto, Senior Communications Officer, jose.perez@opengovpartnership.org.

Comments (1)

Sam Sirma Reply

Bravo! Making the world a better place. Thanks to God almighty!

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