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The Government of Mexico City Withdraws from International Partnership on Open Government

El Gobierno de la Ciudad de México se retira de alianza internacional de gobierno abierto

Washington, D.C. – Officials from the Government of Mexico City, Mexico announced the local government would no longer be part of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), an international partnership of 76 countries, 105 local governments and thousands of civil society organizations working together to build more transparent, inclusive, participatory, and accountable governments. 

Mexico City joined the OGP Local cohort in 2020 after the city government and the Cuauhtémoc Mayor’s Office sent a joint application alongside civil society organizations expressing interest in joining the Partnership and showing a track record of open government initiatives and efforts they have co-led. 

In a letter sent to OGP, the government argues that the City already has mechanisms and institutions in place that facilitate participatory and open governance, including the Public Digital Innovation Agency, and therefore “after considering that the scope and deadlines considered in the design and the implementation of the action plans by the Open Government Partnership contrast and limit the powers and vision of this agency in matters of open government […]”, the government decided to exit the Partnership.

Civil society organizations in the city working with OGP Local expressed their concern over this announcement, alleging that the government took a unilateral decision to withdraw from the Partnership. In letters addressed to OGP, civil society organizations and a multi-stakeholder advisory group also claimed that the action plan they co-created with former government officials has not been published or implemented. 

Rudi Borrmann, Deputy Director of OGP Local, expressed his disappointment over the government’s decision to withdraw from OGP Local and encouraged reformers in the city to continue advocating for open, transparent, and inclusive governments. “More than ten years of evidence shows that when civil society is involved in designing and implementing government reforms, policies are more ambitious and result in better outcomes for people. The OGP platform will always provide a space for reformers in Mexico City and beyond to co-create ambitious reforms and impact citizens’ lives.” 

The Open Government Partnership will continue to work closely with other OGP Local members in the country, including the Municipality of Chihuahua, Jalisco State, Municipality of Merida, Municipality of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon State, Quintana Roo State, Municipality of San Pedro Garza Garcia, Municipality of Tlajomulco de Zuñiga, State of Mexico the Municipality of Tlalnepantla de Baz, and Yucatan State.

Comments (1)

George Adu Reply

Transparency leads to better governance and keep corruption to a lower level.
Sad to learn that public officials take sad decisions to the detriment of their own people.

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