Open government is the simple but powerful idea that governments and institutions work better for citizens when they are transparent, engaging and accountable.
Open government as an approach means:
For much of OGP’s first decade, the primary path to implementing OGP’s vision was through co-creation of reform commitments in national and local action plans. OGP’s approach focused on maintaining high-level political leadership and commitment, fostering peer exchange among reformers and supporting them with technical expertise and evidence, and ensuring that members were held accountable through the IRM. The OGP community has been able to achieve great success through this approach, but there is potential to achieve much more together.
The latest strategy builds on this track record and recognises that significant and enduring changes will need to come from a growing number of reformers—political leaders, civil society, social movements, business leaders, journalists, public servants—who innovate and embed open government in their daily work. This demands a shift of approach in which OGP as a community focuses on cultivating a much stronger movement of such reformers and leaders who drive change and take action, both through and beyond OGP, to support them in their efforts to put people at the heart of their governments.
In 2011, government leaders and civil society advocates came together to create a unique partnership—one that combines these powerful forces to promote transparent, participatory, inclusive and accountable governance.
The Open Government Partnership (OGP) includes 75 countries and 150 local governments – representing more than two billion people – and thousands of civil society organisations.