For this year’s Open Gov Week, 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 (OGP) asked everyone to make a dedicated effort to include new voices in conversations. The response was amazing. Nearly 30 percent of the 513 events in 52 countries focused on inclusionOGP participating governments are working to create governments that truly serve all people. Commitments in this area may address persons with disabilities, women and girls, lesbian, gay, bisexual, tr... More, and how to better engage women, 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, people with disabilitiesA government is not open unless it is accessible to all, and governments are working to ensure people with disabilities are afforded equitable services and opportunities to participate. Technical spec..., the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized populations.

These events – and many more on open contracting, civic space, and beneficial ownership – were amplified across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram reaching a potential audience of 60 million. Dozens of partners also joined in, including Transparency International, CoST, IDEA, UNDP, Open Heroines, Hivos, and Counterpart International.

Reaching the 30 percent mark for inclusion is a major step for our partnership, which thrives on diverse voices being heard. And, it’s a good reminder of the goal OGP has set for 30 percent of its members to take a transformative gender and inclusion action in 2019. You can learn more about that initiative here.

Now,  let’s all get inspired by what you said during Open Gov Week in 2019.

Ukraine convened a special congress to discuss how gender equity can build stronger local governments. The Ukrainian Prime Minister even participated in #OpenGovWeek events. United Kingdom celebrated Feminist Open Government Day, which included a discussion and workshops on the genderOGP participating governments are bringing gender perspectives to popular policy areas, ensuring diversity in participatory processes, and specifically targeting gender gaps in policies to address gov... More pay gap. Canada hosted a webinar on feminist open government and how to use tools like GBA+ to advance gender-based perspectives in reviews and analysis, and IDRC convened a session at CSW to talk about how governments can innovate to better deliver on public services for women and girls.

Ecuador hosted events all week long, even having the Vice-President participate in a high-level event. Honduras and Chile even held open government fairs during the week, while organizations in the United States hosted some events as part of both Sunshine Week and Open Gov Week.

Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Argentina, Indonesia, and Italy hosted events around youth to involve more young people in OGP processes while Jordan, Chile, Ukraine, New Zealand and Italy re-launched their new national action plans.

During Open Gov Week, the OGP team also visited Albania, North Macedonia, the UK, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Morocco. We saw first hand the dedication and determination to make OGP more impactful and inclusive.

Thanks to all who participated in Open Gov Week.  Your enthusiasm is contagious and we look forward to seeing you all in Ottawa, Canada for this year’s OGP Global Summit.