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El Salvador Declared Inactive in the Open Government Partnership

El Salvador declarado inactivo en la Alianza para el Gobierno Abierto

Country Failed to Meet Minimum Standards for Two Straight Years 

Washington, D.C.

The governing body of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) placed El Salvador on inactive status for failing to deliver a new action plan by the 31 December 2021 deadline.

The ruling states that El Salvador has acted contrary to process by not submitting a new action plan, which OGP requires members to do every two years. OGP action plans contain reforms co-created by governments and civil society. The ruling comes after the country was placed under Procedural Review in July of 2021.

OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) has also noted that the government made little to no progress in implementing commitments in their latest action plan, failed to meet minimum participation and co-creation requirements and did not collect, publish and document a repository on the national OGP website or webpage as required. 

In a letter addressed to the OGP Steering Committee, civil society organizations said that the ruling “adequately describes the state of transparency, accountability, citizen participation and democracy” in the country, and made a series of demands for them to re-engage in the process. 

They also called on the Salvadoran government to immediately and permanently stop attacks against civil society organizations and rescind legislation that hinders transparency, accountability and funding for civil society organizations. The Salvadoran government has stated it will engage civil society organizations and reignite the national co-creation process. 

“I call on the Bukele administration to address the demands made by civil society and to enhance and protect basic freedoms such as the ability for people to organize, participate, and communicate freely. These rights are the bedrock of any open and democratic society, and must be restored if El Salvador is to remain in the Open Government Partnership,” said Anabel Cruz, incoming Co-Chair of the OGP Steering Committee and Director of the Communication and Development Institute of Uruguay.

The country’s inactive status will last up to one year or until a new action plan is co-created and submitted no later than March 24, 2023. The new action plan must also meet the minimum requirements established in the Participation & Co-Creation Standards, as assessed by the IRM. Failure to meet these requirements will automatically result in the cessation of El Salvador’s membership status in the OGP.

The OGP Steering Committee also designated Bulgaria, Malawi and Malta as inactive.

El Salvador joined OGP in 2011 when it was founded and has then co-created five action plans with civil society organizations. 

For more information contact communications@opengovpartnership.org

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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-seven 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).

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