Why and How to Comment on IRM Progress Reports

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Over the coming weeks, 39 progress reports will be released for public comment.

See our ‘Checking in on Open Government’ blog for a background on the reports and what you can learn from them.

Why should I comment?

OGP is about participation and those of us who work in the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM)The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) is OGP’s accountability arm and the main means of tracking progress in participating countries. The IRM provides independent, evidence-based, and objective ... take our mandate to listen and to capture diverse voices seriously. When you comment on a report, the IRM staff works closely with IRM researchers to look into each and every comment. We try to identify whether changes should be made to the report based on new viewpoints and new information that you provide. Everyone is welcome to comment–be they from government, civil society organizations, 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, or just concerned citizens. You don’t have to be from the country of the report either.

Commenting on the report is important. Whether it is on a specific theme or 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..., the OGP process, or the national context for open government, this is your chance to go on record and to influence the final report but, far more importantly, to take part of the discussion leading up to the next national action planAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen....

How can I comment?

IRM reports are published in English and the primary administrative language of the country. The comment period is open for at least two weeks once both versions are public. For Spanish reports, an English executive summary is available. Comments may be in any language.

Once a report is open for public comments, you can visit the IRM page and click on the ‘Comment’ button to the right of the relevant national flag, as shown in the graphic below. Alternatively, if you prefer to leave a confidential comment, you can send your comments in an email to irm@opengovpartnership.org with the country name in the subject line.

All comments will be collated and published, except where the requester submits their comments in confidence. Where relevant, comments will be integrated into a final version of the report.