The Open Government Partnership has announced that Sanjay Pradhan, a long-time World Bank official with an expertise in governance issues, has been selected to head the organization starting in late March.
As executive director of the 69-naton OGP, Pradhan will lead the OGP Support Unit and report to the Steering Committee of 11 government and 11 civil society representatives.
“My long-standing passion for how open government can transform the lives of millions around the globe has led me directly to OGP,” said Sanjay in an OGP press release. “OGP represents a historic opportunity to advance the open government agenda through a unique platform built on peer learning and the collaboration between government and civil society around the world.”
Since 1986, he has held three vice president positions at the World Bank. The OGP summary states that he “led the development of WBG’s Governance and Anticorruption Strategy; helped launch Global Partnership for Social Accountability; incubated ICT-mediated citizen feedback; launched Open Contracting with Partners; and rolled out a flagship Collaborative Leadership for Development program to help leaders in government and civil society undertake collaborative actions.”
India, Pradhan’s country of origin, was involved in the early planning for the OGP, but then decided not to join.
Alejandro Gonzalez, OGP Steering Committee Civil Society co-chair and Executive Director of Gestión Social y Cooperación, said, “In his former senior position at the World Bank, Sanjay has proven to be a thought leader and practitioner in open government since before the phrase was even coined. He is a trusted and experienced interlocutor with both governments and civil society around the world”.
Ayanda Dlodlo, Steering Committee Government co-chair and Deputy Minister for Public Service Administration in South Africa added, “I am confident that through Sanjay’s leadership, the OGP will advance its role as a vehicle for transforming the lives of millions around the world through open, parliamentary governance. Sanjay has an ideal mix of vision, leadership, and management skills to lead OGP to fully realize its tremendous potential.”
Sanjay will leave the World Bank in mid-March and join the OGP soon thereafter. Joe Powell will continue as Acting Executive Director in the interim.
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