Policy Areas

OGP members are working to root out undue influence across government affairs at the national and local levels, because the use of public office for private gain erodes citizens’ trust in their government and its ability to serve their interests.

As part of OGP’s 2023-2028 strategy, the Partnership’s overall focus is on policies that tackle grand corruption and kleptocracy—illicit financial flows and money laundering—and on public integrity. This includes specific issues such as beneficial ownership, open contracting, lobbying, political finance, and asset disclosure, among others.

A free and active civil society is key to ensuring that institutions are open, accountable, and responsive. OGP members are working to promote and protect basic democratic freedoms, such as freedom of expression, assembly, and association, and media freedom.

Climate change is an incredibly complex challenge affecting everyone. Open government practices enable governments and citizens to see the true costs of pollution, discuss and co-create alternative approaches for national socio-economic development, mitigate and adapt to climate change, and ensure that there is adequate public oversight of environment and climate policies and spending.

As new and emerging technologies present opportunities for governments and citizens to advance openness, accountability, and participatory practices, OGP members are working to create policies to maximize the benefits of such advancements while safeguarding against harms caused by, for example, online misinformation and disinformation or the malicious use of AI applications.

Making budgets open to public input ensures that government planning and spending align with public priorities and enables societal scrutiny. This includes publishing fiscal information in plain language and accessible formats and increasing participation and oversight in budgeting.

Inclusion is fundamental to achieving more equitable, representative, and accountable policies that truly serve everyone. OGP members are advancing inclusion throughout open government initiatives, whether by championing innovative gender-specific reforms, engaging youth communities in co-creation processes, or integrating the voices of minorities and vulnerable groups across various themes and commitments.

OGP members use open government approaches to address barriers that prevent people from having their justice needs met, empower them to understand their legal problems, and seek help through fair and impartial processes in formal and informal institutions.

Giving the public opportunities to provide input into government decision-making leads to more effective governance, improved public service delivery, and more equitable outcomes. In the context of open government, these deliberations allow the public to provide feedback on the actions of governments through organized discussions. Deliberative democratic processes have seen considerable innovation in the past few decades, ranging in formality, size, and permanence.

The public needs access to information to hold the government to account for its decisions. Right to information (RTI) laws enable citizens to obtain this information, with many laws requiring governments to proactively publish information. Collecting and publishing data on how well agencies implement an RTI law can also help measure progress in protecting this important right, aid learning and accountability, and prioritize reforms.