About OGP

How to join OGP

In order to become a member of OGP, participating countries and regions must endorse an Open Government Declaration, deliver an action plan developed with public consultation, and commit to independent reporting on their progress going forward.

Principles for OGP citizen participation:

  1. Public participation is based on the belief that those that are affected by a decision have a right to be involved in the decision-making process.
  2. Public participation includes the promise that the public's contribution will influence the decision.
  3. Public participation promotes sustainable decisions by recognising and communicating the needs and interests of all participants, including decision makers.
  4. Public participation seeks out and facilitates the involvement of those potentially affected by or interested in a decision.
  5. Public participation seeks input from participants in designing the participation mechanisms.
  6. Public participation provides participants with the information they need to participate in a meaningful way.
  7. Public participation informs participants how their input affected the decision.

OGP participation and co-creation standards are divided into two sections: Basic standards - the requirements that all countries must meet- and the advanced steps - the standards that countries should strive for and be encouraged to do so. There must be a shift from "consult" to "collaborate".

The following has to be guaranteed throughout the basic standards:

Throughout the cycle

Dissemination of information
  • There is a website (or a webpage on a government website) where information on all aspects of the local OGP process is proactively published. The website/webpage should be visible, accessible and searchable.
  • The lead agency of the OGP process and the point of contact are clearly identified and their contract details are available on the OGP website/webpage.
  • The government (hereinafter the promoter group) publishes OGP information and documents in the official languages of the country.
  • The government collects and publishes an information archive on the OGP website/webpage, which provides a historical record and access to all documents related to the OGP process, including, but not limited to, consultation documents, action plans, self-assessment reports, IRM reports and documents accrediting commitment implementation (e.g. links to databases, evidence of meetings, publications).
  • The government communicates information on OGP to stakeholders in advance to ensure that they are informed and prepared to participate in all stages of the process.

Spaces and platforms for dialogue and co-creation
  • A Multistakeholder Forum is established to oversee the OGP process. The forum meets regularly (i.e., at least once a quarter) in person or remotely, as appropriate for the local context.
  • The government and/or Multistakeholder Forum accept inputs and representation from any civil society member and other stakeholders during the action plan process.
  • Opportunities for remote participation are offered for at least some meetings and events to enable the inclusion of people unable to attend in person.
  • The government provides a mechanism for direct communication with stakeholders to answer their questions on the action plan process, particularly during times of intense activity. The government keeps a record of communications and answers to make available to the IRM researcher.
  • The government and/o Multistakeholder Forum conducts outreach and awareness-raising activities with  key stakeholders (e.g. citizens, civil society organisations, government offices, subnational governments, parliament, academia, private sector, etc.) in order to inform them of the OGP process.

Co-ownership and joint decision making
  • Members of the Multistakeholder Forum jointly establish its remit, membership and governance (frequency of meetings, who sets the agenda, how decisions are made, how conflicts are managed, the level of detail of minutes and decision-making authority). These are published on the national OGP website/webpage.
  • The Multistakeholder Forum includes an even balance of governmental and non-governmental representatives.
  • Non-governmental members of the Multistakeholder Forum are selected through a fair and transparent process. The forum's rule should allow non-governmental members to lead their own selection process.
  • The Multistakeholder Forum proactively publishes and reports back on its decisions, activities and results to wider government and civil society stakeholders.
  • The Multistakeholder Forum includes high-level representatives with decision making authority to ensure it is sufficiently empowered to take action (for example, the local-regional OGP point of contact).

When developing the plan of action

Dissemination of information
  • The government or the Multistakeholder Forum communicates the process for the development of the action plan via the OGP website/webpage and other communication channels. The communications should include a timeline of key stages and deadlines, opportunities to be involved (e.g. details of meetings, events, written consultations, feedback mechanisms) and the decision making process for agreeing commitments and finalising the action plan.
  • The government publishes, via the OGP website/webpage (at least once a month) progress updates on the development of the action plan, including notes of events, commitment drafts and any other relevant information.
  • The government publishes an overview of public and civil society contributions and the government's responses on the OGP website/webpage.

Spaces and platforms for dialogue and co-creation
  • The government, guided by the Multistakeholder Forum, provides opportunities to any interested stakeholders (e.g. citizens, civil society organisations, government offices, subnational governments, parliament, academia, private sector, etc.) to participate in the development of the action plan.
  • The government provides adequate background information (e.g. about open government, the OGP, the scope of the action plan and development process) to participants so that they can participate in an informed way. The information will be published on the OGP website/webpage and will be presented at meetings and events.
  • The government or Multistakeholder Forum develops an appropriate methodology for the consultation process. This should include a combination of open meetings and online engagement for the regional context, involve groups throughout the region and be open for an adequate period.
  • The government publishes and collects feedback on draft commitments. This information should be disseminated (on the OGP website/webpage and via other channels) and offer different option to respond (written responses, online discussions, surveys, face-to-face and remote meetings). The space will remain open during an appropriate period (at least two weeks).

Co-ownership and joint decision making
  • The Multistakeholder Forum meets frequently (at least once a month) and discusses, agrees and oversees the action plan development process (e.g. number, location and format of the events).
  • During the development of commitments, government representatives dicuss with other members of the Multistakeholder Forum the government's priorities for commitments and the political feasibility of adopting civil society priorities and proposed commitments.
  • Once the commitments have been drafted, government representatives review the comments with the Multistakeholder Forum and the final list of commitments to be included in the action plan, clearly stating their reasoning behind decisions.

When implementing, monitoring and assessing the action plan

Dissemination of information
  • The government publishes on the OGP website/webpage regular updates (at least every six months) on the progress of the implementation of the commitments, including progress against milestones, reasons for any delays and the next steps. This process is in addition to the self-assessment report.
  • The website/webpage should have a feature to allow the public to comment on progress updates.

Spaces and platforms for dialogue and co-creation
  • The government holds at least two open meetings with civil society (one per year) on the implementation of the action plan
  • The government shares the link to the IRM report with other government institutions and stakeholders to encourage input during the public comment phase.

Co-ownership and joint decision making
  • The Multistakeholder Forum monitors and deliberates on how to improve the implementation of the action plan.
  • The government submits its self-assessment report to the Multistakeholder Forum for comments and feedback on the content of the report.
The advanced steps include:

Throughout the cycle

Dissemination of information
  • The government and/or Multistakeholder Forum publish information and documents in plain and accessible language that can be understood quickly and completely.
  • The government and/or Multistakeholder Forum use different channels commonly used by citizens, civil society and other stakholders, including traditional and new media (for example, newspapers, television, radio, email, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WhatsApp, Slack, etc.), as appropriate, for awareness raising and dissemination of progress updates.
  • The government and/or Multistakeholder Forum established direct communication with relevant stakeholders to raise awareness of open government, the OGP and opportunities to get involved.
  • The government and/or Multistakeholder Forum use visual materials, infographics, videos and other appropriate media to communicate relevant information and updates on the process and its outcomes to a non-expert audience.

Spaces and platforms for dialogue and co-creation
  • The Multistakeholder Forum has a strategy to bring in additional government and non-government stakeholders in the OGP process.
  • The Multistakeholder Forum coordinates different face-to-face events around the region, which are open and accessible to any interested members of the public, civil society and other stakeholders (they must be at suitable times and locations).
  • An online forum is established to enable ongoing dialogue across stakeholders involved in the OGP process.

Co-ownership and joint decision making
  • The Multistakeholder Forum is jointly chaired by the government and civil society.
  • The Multistakeholder Forum includes a variety of government and non-government stakeholders (e.g. citizens, civil society organisations, government offices, subnational governments, parliament, academia, the private sector, etc.) that provide different perspectives.
  • The members of the Multistakeholder Forum make joint decisions regarding the process and content of the action plan.
  • The members of the Multistakeholder Forum undertake to comply with ethical standards (honesty, transparency, avoidance of conflicts of interest and acting in the public interest) by means of signing an ethics and conflict of interest declaration. The declaration clearly defines the sanctions to be applied in case of breach.

When developing the plan of action

Dissemination of information
  • The government and/or Multistakeholder Forum use different channels commonly used by citizens, civil society and other stakeholders, including traditional and new media (for example, newspapers, television, radio, email, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WhatsApp, Slack, etc.), as appropriate, to update on the development of the action plan, along with the opportunities to participate.
  • The government and/or Multistakeholder Forum publish all written contributions to the development of the action plan on the OGP website/webpage (for example, consultation responses).
  • The Multistakeholder Forum publishes, via the national OGP websites, its reasoning behind the selection of the commitments for the action plan, including justification for commitment proposals that were not adopted.

Spaces and platforms for dialogue and co-creation
  • The Multistakeholder Forum engages civil society and other stakeholders in setting the agenda for the action plan. These include selecting priority themes, identifying problems to be tackled and suggestions for commitments.
  • The Multistakeholder Forum ensures that there are a range of opportunities for civil society and other stakeholders to take part in developing the plan, including an outreach programme around the country and online discussions.
  • The Multistakeholder Forum oversees the formation of working groups including relevant stakeholders from government and civil society, to discuss and refine ideas into commitments.
  • The Multistakeholder Forum collects feedback from stakeholders on the draft action plan. This should be appropriately disseminated and include different mechanism for feedback from the stakeholders (e.g., written responses, online discussions, surveys, face-to-face or remote meetings) and be open for an adequate period.

Co-ownership and joint decision making
  • The Multistakeholder Forum jointly designs and agrees the action plan development process (e.g. the number, location and format of the events), although the government is ultimately responsible for the quality of the process.
  • Commitment proposals are assessed by the Multistakeholder Forum in an open and transparent process. All parties have equal veto power over commitments included in the action plan.
  • Government and civil society, via the Multistakeholder Forum, jointly agree the commitments to be included in the action plan.li>

When implementing, monitoring and assessing the action plan

Dissemination of information
  • The Multistakeholder Forum oversees the publication of regular government and civil society updates on the progress of commitment in addition to government self-assessment reports.
  • The government publishes a dashboard on the national website that provides up-to-date information on the status of the commitments in an accessible and easy-to-understand format for an average citizen.

Spaces and platforms for dialogue and co-creation
  • The government establishes a public consultation period of at least four weeks on its self-assessment and proactively publishes and disseminates it in different channels (e.g. mailing lists of participants in the action plan development and on the OGP website/webpage).
  • Government provides the civil society members of the forum to meet with the minister in question, at least twice a year, to review the process, the self-assessment and IRM report.
  • The government provides an interactive space on the website/webpage to allow the stakeholders to discauss the progress in commitments. The government should answer their questions or comments within 20 days.
  • If the IRM report is publicly launched, the government will send a high level representative (minister or senior official) responsible for the OGP process to discuss the findings in open dialogue with the participants.

Co-ownership and joint decision making
  • Working groups including different stakeholdersare established to implement and monitor each commitment. The members should be selected using appropriate methods (e.g., by the Multistakeholder Forum or through an open call.
  • The government proactively organises frequent meetings (at least quarterly) for each working group, which produce regular progress reports (at least twice a year) on the implementation of the commitment (agreed jointly9. These updates should form the basis for the government self-assessment report.

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