Q&A with Paul Maassen

Over 1500 reformers from government and civil society are gathering in London this week for the annual summit of the Open Government Partnership (OGP). Paul Maassen is the Civil Society Coordinator who has been informing civil society about the OGP, offering supporting with the process of joining, advising actors on their strategic engagement with government and documenting the experiences and lessons learned thus far. His work has taken him to over 60 countries.

What role is civil society expected to play in the OGP?

> This is an equal partnership and expectations of civil society are high. Before joining, many CSOs have actively campaigned for membership. Once on board, an open dialogue between government and civil society is expected, addressing the priorities for and commitments to  open government. This requires that civil society arrives at the table prepared and well-coordinated. A solid start to the partnership helps lay the foundations for a collaborative relationship and for building trust between government and civil society. Participation in the consultation, supporting the implementation and external monitoring are all official roles expected of civil society. Of supreme importance is the softer role civil society must play if this is to work: building a relationship characterised by respect, a genuine desire to listen and real 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... to engage. This informal role is all about bringing expertise, giving the process time, being prepared, being flexible and understanding government’s scope to act and perspectives.

Why is it important that civil society engage with government in the OGP?

> While civil society can set the agenda, complain about non-delivery and campaign for better laws, it doesn’t have the capacity to implement health or 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 ... programmes on a national scale. This is government’s mandate so, to bring about change, a functioning government is critical. This means civil society has to partner with government and lend its help. Often civil society actors have the expertise, and the networks and knowledge learned from other countries, to benefit government. At some point civil society has to come down from its campaigning pedestal and really work with government. And broad engagement is necessary so that some people can participate from the ‘inside’ while others can monitor and question from the ‘outside.’

How would you describe the engagement of civil society since the inception of the OGP in 2011?

> The engagement on the whole has been positive. The most recent survey revealed that 64% of respondents are more positive about their engagement and about the OGP’s potential to deliver change than they were 12 months ago. They also say the right actors are involved within government and, for their own part, civil society organisations are generally happy with their own contribution. Since the beginning, the global and national networks working on anti-corruption, 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..., access to information, extractives and budget 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 have been very strong. The trick now is to sustain the momentum by deepening the engagement and broadening the remit to include, for example, poverty or climate change or to bring in the private sectorGovernments are working to open private sector practices as well — including through beneficial ownership transparency, open contracting, and regulating environmental standards. Technical specificat... More. All of these areas have transparency and accountability issues.

What major developments involving civil society are being witnessed?

> Internally, the consultations between government and civil society are not good enough. This is perhaps due to a lack of skills and/or willingness on the part of government. After all, there is no lack of knowledge about how to run a good and participatory consultation. Processes are often not inclusive or are advertised very late or are limited to a handful of organisations in the capital city. Further down the line, it’s not always clear what happens to the inputs made by civil society; there’s no feedback loop for  suggestions made. So clearly governments have to raise their bar. But this situation also highlights the need for civil society to be well-prepared, organised and strategic. OGP processes that have gone well are characterised by a genuine willingness to engage and work together. You see this in action in countries where the cooperation and dialogue are not ad hoc or simply a question of ticking the boxes.

What are the implications for citizens of current trends?

> The two big trends happening right now are that spaces and societies are opening up and closing down. On the one hand, we are seeing greater access to information, new and better laws, increased transparency and greater citizen involvement in policy-making processes. More and more governments are using technologies to make services more efficient and more customer-oriented. On the other hand, globally, only 17% of the population feels listened to by their governments. Many of these same governments are reducing the scope for media and civil society and, by passing laws that curb individual freedom and public access to information, they are becoming more secretive.

What, in your opinion, is the way forward for civil society?

> Firstly, it is to broaden participation to more people, more actors beyond the usual suspects and the usual topics. It also involves engaging with governments – from local, city or state level to supra-national bodies like the EU. Plus, we need to bring in the media as an actor, as an amplifier. Secondly, we need to deepen our engagement in terms of quality and 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.... This means pushing for plans that are smarter and better defined as well as having more meaningful dialogue, which can help build trust. And, lastly, civil society would benefit from having stronger connections between its own actors, both nationally and internationally. Let’s do away with the silos; the open-data people on the left, the budget people behind and the extractives people on the right. To make the OGP a sustainable force for change, we need to invest the right amount of resources and capacity, be flexible, and allow enough time to build trust and partnerships.

What do you hope civil society delegates will take home with them?

> I hope people will leave with more energyEnsuring universal access to sustainable, dependable, and affordable energy is critical to every aspect of prosperity. Increasing public oversight and transparency in the energy sector can help to ens... More and the inspiration to gain the skills and knowledge they need to do things differently at the national level. In the end, the national level is where change will have to happen. Also, delegates should make connections and use this opportunity for easy access to have more informal discussions with their government counterparts. I also hope we can bring home the message that things have to improve within the OGP, within civil society as well as within government. We are all part of the push for more open government, for more space for reformers.

How do you plan to measure the impact of a summit?

> We will look for evidence of more substantive partnerships, an increase in trust and better management where planning processes are concerned. Ultimately, this will result in better relationships and better plans. And as for the OGP itself, the summit will help focus our agenda, give it more substance and help us make the partership with government work better.

Summit proceedings will be broadcast online, live streaming is available via this link.