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Speech by the President of the Republic, François Hollande – Global Summit for Open Government Partnership

François Hollande|

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Paris Salle Pleyel – Wednesday 7th December 2016

Ladies and Gentlemen, Heads of State, of government,

Ladies and Gentlemen, representatives of the many countries associated with this summit for open government,

Ladies and Gentlemen the elected representatives, civil society representatives and committed individuals,

Dear Manish BAPNA, with whom we have co-organised the Summit.

I am delighted to welcome you to Paris for this international event. I would like to remind you that it was launched by Barack OBAMA – which is why it will be moving and interesting to hear him when he addresses you during the summit.

This summit follows on from others before which have created new fields for civic participation, provided citizens with new ways to be represented and even change public decision. The summits have put pressure on governments to be without doubt more open, definitely more transparent and, at the same time, held more accountable each time they questioned a certain number of relationships between States and citizens.

This summit is being held in a particular context. I am not only talking about the situation in the world, with its conflicts, crises, terrorism. I’m talking about what can threaten democracy itself during a period in which democracy seems fragile and yet is so precious. What is happening in the world with its multiple challenges, extremists of all kinds, even within declarations made by public officials, shows that nothing about democracy is fully acquired, that it’s not definitely installed.

Democracy is a struggle, it’s a movement that must be sustained. It’s when democracy believes it’s self-evident that it inspires nothing but indifference.

There have been warning signs for a long while: abstention during elections, civic withdrawal amongst part of the younger population, the rise in populism, the feeling that democracy might not necessarily be the most efficient system in preparation for the future. There’s a kind of weariness within democracies that has been in place for a long time, for two or even three centuries. In more emerging countries, there’s the idea that democracy might not necessarily be the ultimate culmination point for their development. And there’s what wears down democracy: corruption, and at times the lack of basic freedom, and of pluralism.

Alongside this risk of democracy being jeopardised right at its very core, there is also reason for hope. There are examples of civic intervention, of citizen mobilisation which is what you represent here today. Above and beyond the heads of State and of government and the ministers who are here – whom I welcome – there are the citizens, the innovators, the non governmental organisations, elected representatives who become involved in order to develop and reinvent our democracy, so that the aspirations of citizens can be heard loud and clear.

We also have proof of how such civic mobilisation and participation can lead to real change: media updating documents revealing global tax evasion, for example, which has allowed heads of State and of government to take measures to fight against tax fraud or fiscal optimisation in international organisations. Without this media, these whistleblowers, the amount of pressure necessary to uncover such corruption might never have seen the day.

There are also voluntary developers who make their transparency tools available to their administration in order to fight against corruption. There are cities, such as Paris, but also many others around the world, which invite local inhabitants to participate in the management of a part of the budget. There are citizens in Latin America, Europe, Asia, everywhere, who are involved in the basic creation of law. There are developers who create applications that allow for all citizens to understand precisely what public expenditure represents and where it’s going.

These are experiences we’d like to talk about. What digital technology has considerably changed, what the digitalisation of our societies has allowed in terms of expression and profound change in the relationship between the State and citizens.

You are here today, in Paris, to exchange, discuss, construct new coalitions, propose new tools, so that the relationship between public authorities and citizens can be changed, so that a new democracy can emerge.

A democracy in which the State, administration and public authorities can be open to every initiative, to every talent that would like to contribute. In which innovation can be present throughout, to improve public performance but also to encourage a real understanding of the actions of those who have received a mandate by the people to take decisions.

A democracy which guarantees that governments, elected representatives and officials, are really only serving general interest; that they are honest, responsible, and accountable, that one can evaluate their action and that they can then be proud of what they have achieved, and the commitments they’ve been able to keep. A democracy which inspires confidence and which casts aside indifference and defiance.

It’s to bring together and support all of those who share this vision, to encourage further initiatives, that the Open Government Partnership was created: to pool the experiences of our societies. Since 2011, we’ve come a long way: the Partnership has gone from 8 members to 70 in less than five years, it’s allowed tens of governments to collaborate with their civil society. 2,500 engagements have been upheld in 135 action plans. We are gathered here today not only to look at what needs to be done, but also to evaluate what has already been done.

From the moment I took office, in 2013, I wanted France to join the movement so that we could also contribute and show examples of our country’s transparency, of citizen participation, of the probity of its leaders, through the openness of its administration, and how data is shared. So that France can continue to be exemplary, and in as far as possible, avant-garde.

As such, open public data has become a principle, throughout every sector of governmental action. A High Authority for the Transparence of Public life has been created. 14,000 elected representatives and public officials must communicate their wealth and interests declaration, those of parliamentarians are published and ethical rules have been fixed and submitted with the most scrupulous respect.

We have also adopted a law to protect whistleblowers which provides a framework for pressure groups, creates a public repertory and institutes an anticorruption agency – it will be implemented early 2017.

This commitment for a more transparent, more open, more participatory democracy is part of what political engagement should be. It’s what should drive political commitment, be a source of pride, rehabilitate it in the eyes of fellow citizens, to show them that it’s a real commitment, and not just a promotion. But we should aspire collectively to go even further. Which is the meaning of the Paris Summit.

Personally I have three main goals as I welcome you here today.

The first is to expand our community. Since 2011, every Summit has seen several countries join the Partnership. We will be be open during the Paris Summit to the initiatives of new prospective member countries: I’m thinking in particular of Portugal, Morocco, Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Jamaica, Luxembourg and Germany. The leaders of Guinea and Haiti have also show intention. We would like the process to be extended to all countries, whatever their development, whatever their continent. The Partnership is also open to regions, territorial collectivities, cities – I welcome those amongst us today.

My second priority is to renew our common pact. It’s the meaning of the Declaration which will be published at the outcome of this Summit. It recognises that during the following five years, our Partnership should be evaluated on our capacity to produce the reforms which will be concretely effective in the lives of our fellow citizens.

Every country should produce national action plans.

We will also launch new alliances between the public sector and civil society in order to increase citizen participation in each of our countries. We must also improve administration’s accountability and evaluation. And it must speed up its conversion and translation of decisions of law in a concrete manner in everyday life. Our ambition is also to broaden the issue of transparency by introducing it into the service of sustainable development and the fight against climate change.

This time a year ago, in Paris, during quite a different context that was particularly sober due to the terrorist attacks targeting my country, we brought together the COP21 and reached a historical Agreement for the future of the planet. The commitments made last year must also be evaluated: whether the funds promised will be effectively cleared, as well as the national contributions and plans that were proposed by each country. There’s a direct link between the Paris Conference on Climate and this Summit for Open Government. This summit for open government will also allow us to be sure that what was declared in Paris and ratified by the countries of the international community, which has now become a commitment, an international law, should be effectively verified and controlled.

The Paris Declaration will also confirm the principal of sharing digital common property so that technology can allow for the circulation of information for all and not for the exclusive property of any interest or monopoly, whether private or of the State. We have insisted on the digital issue, on digitalisation which is a form of expression, of intervention, participation, innovation, imagination, but can also be captured by powerful forces and interests. We should confirm our partition of common property.

This is the roadmap that will have to be set by our summit and which will then lead us to concrete action with all the forces of democracy.

Finally, as we did last year, we must consider alliances and concrete initiatives that will bring together several countries: those who want to go further in terms of transparency, openness or democratic participation, who will want to publish public procurement data in open format, to compile business registers, to use data to better combat corruption, to further improve the principle of citizen consultation, to make it possible for the environment to use all climate data. Again, we can propose a solution agenda.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is our responsibility today. There are a hundred countries represented here, thousands of innovators who have mobilised around you so that our organisation can become even stronger and take on more challenges.

We are aware of the responsibility that is ours because it is the challenge of democracy. If democracy is not renewed, if it is not revisited, if it is not appropriated by the citizens themselves, its decline is possible and contestation of it will rise. Populists will seize all that causes frustration, anger or dissatisfaction. They will even play with social networks and digital media to disseminate false information, to try to make opinions equivalent, to challenge those who believe in universal suffrage, to consider that there is in fact another system than the one which gives the people the means to be heard.

That is why our meeting is not just about exchanging good practices, generating experiences, evaluating what we have been able to define in each of our countries. Our responsibility is much greater. We must not defend democracy as if it were attacked and barricade ourselves behind our institutions. We must do the opposite: we must open ourselves, we must be transparent, we must show that we welcome all initiatives, that administrations and States have nothing to fear from citizens and citizens have everything to hope from States as long as they respect them.

What we have to aim for is that citizens want democracy and that democracy leaves room for citizens. That is what this summit is all about. Thank you.

Filed Under: Europe National OGP News
Open Government Partnership