28 February 2019: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Open Government Partnership (OGP) made a joint commitment to advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through open government initiatives. As outlined in their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the two organizations will support progress on SDG 5 (gender equality) and SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions).

The OGP brings together government and civil society to create action plans to make governments more inclusive, responsive and accountable to citizens. OGP members are countries that have endorsed the Open Government Declaration, developed a country action plan with public consultation and committed to independent reporting on their progress. Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, South Africa, the UK and the US founded the OGP in 2011. There are now 79 OGP participating countries and 20 subnational governments that have committed to making their governments more open and accountable.

UNDP and OGP will provide support for reforms related to SDG 5, SDG 16 and “legislative openness.”

In the MoU, UNDP and OGP commit to advancing implementation of OGP’s declaration titled, ‘Open Government for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.’ The two organizations will leverage OGP action plans as a mechanism to advocate for national reforms to support SDG achievement, with a particular focus on SDG 5 and SDG 16. UNDP and OGP will provide technical assistance and programmatic support to institutions and civil society organizations to implement reforms related to SDG 5, SDG 16 and “legislative openness.” OGP will monitor progress through its Independent Reporting Mechanism.

According to OGP, there is no single definition of open government; rather, the concept encompasses the transparency of government actions, accessibility of government services and information, responsiveness of government to needs, demands and new ideas, and the rights of citizens to have a say in the issues that matter to them and hold those making decisions accountable. SDG target 16.6 calls for developing “effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.” SDG target 16.7 focuses on ensuring “responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.”

Per the MoU, the two organizations will identify opportunities for sharing experiences at global and regional conferences and events, including the Sixth OGP Global Summit in May 2019, and July 2019 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). [UNDP Press Release] [OGP Website]