“Tunisia plans to join the OGP in 2012 and Libya, Morocco and Egypt plan to initiate steps toward eligibility this summer,” according to a fact sheet issued by the Group of Eight following a May 19 meeting in Camp David, Md.
The G-8 leaders pledged to “assist each transition country with progress toward membership in the Open Government Partnership.”
More details on the aid package followed several days later, as the United States announced $1.5 million in funding to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to support open governance and political participation in the Middle East and North Africa. Other donors will fund similar work in Egypt, the U.S. State Department said. Separately, the United Kingdom May 24 said it will work with Libya to promote open government through a variety of avenues.
The second newsletter of the regional dialogue on Access to information in MENA region in Arabic and English is available here. It includes summaries of FOI developments in the region. Plans are being made for a third video conference May 29; for details see the newsletter.
G-8 Support
The G-8 in 2011, during a meeting in France, formed what is known as the “Deauville Partnership” to help countries in the Middle East and North Africa after the Arab Spring. The latest statement from the G-8 meeting in the United States builds on that commitment in a variety of ways, of which the support for OGP membership is one part.
The preamble to the fact sheet states:
A year after the historic events across the Middle East and North Africa began to unfold, the aspirations of people of the region for freedom, human rights, democracy, job opportunities, empowerment and dignity are undiminished. At the Camp David Summit, G-8 Leaders recognized the important progress that has been achieved in a number of countries undergoing transition and committed to maintaining their support for these transitions in four key priority areas: stabilization, job creation, participation/governance, and integration.
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