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From niche to mainstream to viral – the parallel realities of the OGP movement

Triin Ilves|

Whereas the 75 member countries of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) initiative are already forming a considerable group of the “cool kids” in the world, luckily, they don’t see themselves as an elitist group. A prevailing argument among many is the importance of an ever-growing network. Reach and spread out, emphasize openness in various fields (governing, data usage, new concepts), include more people – these ideas were repeated in various panels, mentioned by the governing heads of the free world, and concluded in the coffee-talks throughout the 2016 OGP Global Summit in Paris.

Indeed, while good ideas may derive from one person, momentum is formed from within a group. “We can be part of solution or we can be part of revolution,” stated Vincent Avanzi, Chief Poetic Officer and founder of A Human Odyssey at the closing plenary of the OGP Paris Summit.

I, a young journalist from Orange Magazine, representing the European Youth Press, choose to support the revolution. Even if it takes me a while to learn how to navigate the labyrinth of of open government policies; to read in-progress, idle, or already completed action plans; or literally to find my way in the long and often lonely corridors. Now, to think of it, to find my way, even in Paris!

At first, it was definitely a lot to handle. As a journalist, I had set a task: to find the people behind the complicated structures of open government, prove that government action plans are not only overly long documents filled with empty words, but that there are real people fighting for a change behind them, for a change! And I’m happy to say that I did find them, quite many actually:

 

Next from Humans of #opengov: “I try to bring citizens, officials, and businesses together, and this is why I’m here: to learn and share.” -Stine Schulze, MindLab, Denmark #OGP16 #Act2Open

A photo posted by Open Government Partnership (@opengovpartnership) on

For me, the actual superstars of the overall summit were most easily found at the Pitch Corner. With only 15 minutes to speak, people from various initiatives from all over the world had the chance to present their ideas. In a whirlwind of topics, I heard critical questions, saw innovative ideas – i.e, what is the dark side of the open government, or how the Mexican government collaborates with change.org (see video here).

They outweighed many panel discussions that may have been informative at their best, but repeated the same ideas throughout the three days. However, the opportunity to hold a governing head accountable by just giving a microphone to a member of the audience is an age-old but powerful move, even today.

Perhaps it would’ve been great to see even more direct questions to many heads of state that seem enthusiastic about open government ideas, but never seem to realize or fully implement them in their action plans.

In reality, the best examples derive from the situations, where the change has to be a reaction, not a proactive measure. And the driving force behind many changes still lies within the fact that something must be wrong or biased first. In the Ukraine, the ProZorro initiative that won the top prize at the OGP Awards was created to address corruption in public procurement. Using the principle “Everybody sees everything”, ordinary citizens can check and verify each public procurement.

Moreover, as I was not only a journalist but a young journalist at the Summit, I was glad that the top prize was given to a youth-led initiative. Whereas the younger generation is often associated with “grasshopper” syndrome, we can’t be pushed aside. Leonardo Rivera from the Honduras Youth Council, one of the few young voices at the OGP16 Summit, put it well: we need to get involved now, otherwise we find ourselves facing problems, and we don’t know what to do about them. What role does OGP play in that process? “For us, finding the answer is a work in progress,” he said.

(Read Leonardo Rivera’s piece on open government experience from Honduras here: http://www.orangemagazine.eu/finding-way-open-government-experience-hond…)

I agree with Leonardo in that sense. 75 countries (and counting!) can form action plans that are executed in fair and sustainable way. It takes a lot of effort not only to build empty, cold castles, but to focus more on the already-ongoing initiatives. We journalists can help them by amplifying their voices and not only cover their failures, but share bright ideas and working solutions. Because, isn’t it already time to make good news go viral?

Filed Under: OGP News
Open Government Partnership