The Open Government Partnership (OGP) was formally launched on September 20, 2011 on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly meeting during which Heads of State from 8 founding governments (Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, South Africa, United Kingdom, and the United States) endorsed the Open Government Declaration and announced their country action plans along with an equal number of civil society leaders.[1] The eight founding members also welcomed the commitment of 38 governments to join OGP.[2] In the first 10 years, OGP members have created over 4,500 commitments in more than 300 action plans.[3] India[4] and Russia[5] had initially expressed intentions to join the partnership, but neither follow through with the process.
Just six months after its start, OGP had grown from eight action plans and 46 participating countries to 50 action plans and 54 participating countries.[6] The meeting in Brasilia brought together countries and organizations united in their belief in the power of transparency, with participation from anti-censorship campaigners in Yemen to reformers using data on primary schools to improve education in India.[7]
A total of 46 members had already published action plans containing over 300 open government commitments.[8] According to then Minister of the United Kingdom’s Cabinet Office responsible for public transparency and open data, Frances Maude, Britain sought to “further secure the foundations of OGP as a globally recognized and respected international initiative…. [and to] strengthen the role of civil society organizations, encouraging greater collaboration with governments to forge more innovative and open ways of working.”[8]
In 2013, OGP’s thematic goals centered around Citizen Action and Responsive Government. In an era of hyperconnectivity, openness and transparency, as well as citizen participation and collaboration, are increasingly viewed as essential components of good governance.[9]
With the adoption and implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by world leaders at a historic United Nations Summit, including Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 16 for the “promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies,” 2015 marked a milestone for the future of development outcomes and open government.[10] In October 2015, the Government of Mexico hosted the third OGP Global Summit in Mexico City emphasizing the theme of “Openness for All: Using the Open Government principles as key mechanisms to implement the post-2015 development agenda.”
In early 2016, OGP launched a new pilot program designed to involve sub-national governments more proactively in the initiative.[11] Later in December 2016, the Government of France, in partnership with the World Resources Institute (WRI), hosted the fourth OGP Global Summit in the nation’s capital, Paris, gathering 3000 representatives from 70 countries.[12]
