Faces of Open Government – Tamara Puhovski

In this section of the OGP newsletter, we feature individuals from government and civil society, and ask them about their experiences. Here is what Tamara Puhovski (Office of the Deputy Foreign Minister and coordinator of the Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More in Croatia) had to say: 

How does open government make a difference in peoples lives?

OGP is like a superhero, it does very complicated things to bring about very simple solutions to everyday problems. It ensures that the Governments and the societies people live in are not lagging behind in bringing about 21st century quality of life, democracy and decision-making. It empowers people.

How have you benefited from exchanging ideas with civil society?

To paraphrase the OGP slogan, great ideas come from the civil society. Personally I can say that the civil society organisations I have worked with have helped me be at the same time more ambitious and more realistic and have been and endless source of motivation and creative solutions that I rely on. Also they have ensured I receive a couple of crash courses on topics such as IT technology, legislationCreating and passing legislation is one of the most effective ways of ensuring open government reforms have long-lasting effects on government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or r... in the area of access to information and fiscal transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More. But probably what I appreciate the most is the sense of community and support for common good that we have developed the mutual support for shared values and ambitions for Croatia’s future. It’s not us and them anymore, it’s the OGP and the non-OGP, Or rather “not yet OGP” people. In short, if you are working in public sector and you feel alone you probably need OGP and civil society partners. We often disagree on the speed or the methodology of going after OGP goals but the sentiment behind it and the common ambitionAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should “stretch government practice beyond its current baseline with respect to key areas of open government.” Ambition captures the po... that we have for the future of this society is something I at the same time immensely treasure and try to never take for granted. To be perfectly honest once you realise how it enriches the process of policy-making you will want the CS as partners on other things you do as well.

Describe one OGP commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... from your country that you are proud of.

Just one? I’m proud of all of them, because I know the complex process we went through to discuss them and choose them and plan them and finally implement them. I know we didn’t settle for what we thought could be achieved but went a little bit further each time. I’m especially proud of our Information Commissioner and the way that office was established and how it has created an institution for safeguarding and advocating the right to informationThe legal right to request information from the government allows the public to follow government decision-making, participate in ensuring better decisions, and hold the government accountable. Techni..., I’m immensely proud of our system of e-consultations and the fact that now legislation cannot be put in front of the Government of Croatia without a report on public consultations. I’m very proud of all our online services we offer our citizens, I’m proud of how fiercely we are working on open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici... and I’m proud of the way we have included youthRecognizing that investing in youth means investing in a better future, OGP participating governments are creating meaningful opportunities for youth to participate in government processes. Technical ... More in our efforts to make this a sustainable revolutionary effort.

How are you working to overcome challenges in opening up government in your country?

By closely following the NAP as an important contract between the civil society and the Government and by practising my “I see, but what if we….” sentence.  By, due to budgetary restrictions, relying on social capital and mutually fostered motivation within the OGP Council as the “deus ex machine” for the problems and challenges in OGP implementation. By trying to acknowledge everybody’s priorities, and set a plan of how we can tackle it even if it is too soon to do it right now. By always emphasising the importance of educationAccountability within the public education system is key to improving outcomes and attainment, and accountability is nearly impossible without transparent policies and opportunities for participation ... and youth. And by hoping that every challenge we have had has made us better at OGP and has strengthening the relationships and trust between the stakeholders of the process. But I am, as most OGP people, an incurable optimist and enthusiast!