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Open Government Partnership Announces Sanjay Pradhan as its New CEO

OGP Support Unit|

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WASHINGTON, D.C. May 10, 2016: The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is pleased to welcome Sanjay Pradhan as its new CEO. Sanjay joins at a pivotal moment as OGP approaches its fifth-year anniversary at the UN General Assembly in September 2016. “The first five years have seen an impressive growth in the number of countries joining the partnership and co-creating thousands of open government commitments with civil society.  But over the next five years, the success of OGP will be measured not on volume, but on whether it makes a transformational impact in the lives of citizens,” said Sanjay. “OGP’s unique platform of government-civil society collaboration provides unprecedented opportunities to make governments responsive to citizens – by deepening citizen feedback and amplifying the voices of the poor in the design of public policies and delivery of services.”

OGP was launched by eight Heads of State and nine civil society leaders at the UN General Assembly in 2011 with the objective of making governments more transparent, responsive and accountable through stronger civic participation.  In just five years, 69 countries have joined the partnership, along with thousands of civil society groups and several multilateral organizations. Sanjay will report to an international 22-member Steering Committee, composed equally of governments and civil society organizations.

On Thursday, May 12, Sanjay will address world leaders at the London 2016 Anti-Corruption Summit where he will stress the vital role OGP can play in supporting global efforts to fight corruption. “Over a third of the world’s countries are in OGP, and more are looking to join this rapidly growing movement,” said Sanjay. “This provides a powerful opportunity to translate global commitments at the Summit into concrete country action plans with accountability through OGP’s Independent Review Mechanism.  There is huge potential to leverage the leadership of OGP countries in vital areas such as open contracting, beneficial ownership transparency and access to information to inspire and support ambitious reforms in peer countries to fight corruption.”

A widely respected figure in the international development community, Sanjay brings a wealth of open government experience to the role. Since 1986, he has held three Vice President positions at the World Bank Group (WBG). He led the WBG’s Governance and Anticorruption Strategy, launched the Global Partnership for Social Accountability, incubated ICT-mediated citizen feedback to improve governance, initiated Open Contracting with Partners, and rolled out a flagship Collaborative Leadership for Development program to help government and civil society leaders undertake collaborative actions. Sanjay has served as a global spokesperson on open governance at major forums, including the TED Global Conference, the BBC World Debate, the British House of Commons and the European Parliament. Sanjay is an Indian national and holds PhD and Bachelor’s degrees from Harvard University.

Alejandro Gonzalez, OGP Steering Committee Civil Society co-chair and executive director of Gestión Social y Cooperación, said, “In his former senior position at the World Bank, Sanjay has proven to be a thought leader and practitioner in open government since before the phrase was even coined. He is a trusted and experienced interlocutor with both governments and civil society around the world.”

Ayanda Dlodlo, Steering Committee Government co-chair and Deputy Minister for Public Service Administration in South Africa added, “I am confident that through Sanjay’s leadership, the OGP will advance its role as a vehicle for transforming the lives of millions around the world through open, parliamentary governance. Sanjay has an ideal mix of vision, leadership, and management skills to lead OGP to fully realize its tremendous potential.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

MEDIA CONTACT: Dietlind Lerner, Communications Director, Open Government Partnership Support Unit –dietlind.lerner@opengovpartnership.org

Open Government Partnership