Posts Tagged ‘open government partnership’
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7 August 2014
FOI Notes: Russia, Africa, Open Data, OGP, US, Germany, India, More
Russia: Russia’s Federal Migration Service is seeking to deport the American wife of Ivan Y. Pavlov, the founder of the Institute for Freedom of Information Development, the New York Times reported. His wife, Jennifer Gaspar, has lived in Russia for a decade, working for a variety of nongovernmental organizations, including groups focused on human rights […]
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6 August 2014
OGP Announces New Steering Committee Members
Five new civil society organization representatives and three new governments have been selected to serve on the Open Government Partnership Steering Committee. A selection process determined the new CSO members to the 22 member Steering Committee. The committee, slightly enlarged now, is evenly divided between CSO and government members. The chosen CSO representatives are: – […]
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24 July 2014
FOI Notes: Arabic ATI Guide, OGP in LA, OKFest, Contest, Open Data, Job Posting
ATI Guide in Arabic: An Arabic version of the Guide on ATI, published by UNESCO in April, is available. Latin America: Winds of Change: The Progress of Open Government Policymaking in Latin America and the Caribbean, a book in English and Spanish, reviews activities in 15 countries under theOpen Government Partnership. 2014 OK Festival: A […]
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22 July 2014
14 CSO Candidates Selected As Finalists to Join OGP SC
Fourteen persons have been selected for the short list of candidates from civil society who still are running to become members of the Open Government Partnership Steering Committee. The OGP is keeping the list a secret, but FreedomInfo.org obtained a confirmed list of the 14 finalists for the five open seats The 14 are: – […]
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18 July 2014
Canada Pulls Out of Election for OGP Steering Committee
The Canadian government has withdrawn its candidacy to join the Steering Committee that runs the Open Government Partnership. The unannounced withdrawal is noted without explanation in the OGP website page about the upcoming election. * = Canada withdrew their application for the OGP Steering Committee on July 10. A statement provided by the Treasury Board Secretariat […]
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7 July 2014
Six Governments Seeking to Join OGP Leadership
Eleven governments are competing for eight spots on the Steering Committee of the Open Government Partnership — five incumbents and six governments seeking a seat for the first time. The voting among the 64 member governments began July 1 and ends July 30, with results to be announced Aug. 4. Looking to win election on […]
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30 May 2014
OGP Chooses New Experts for Next Independent Reviews
The Open Government Partnership has published the list of next group of reviwwers who will examine national action plans. The process, known as the Independent Reporting Mechanism, involves hiring independent experts to author progress reports on implementation of each country’s OGP action plan. A number of known access to information experts are among those chosen. […]
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23 May 2014
OGP Drafts Strategic Plan; Debates Other Issues in Bali
The Open Government Partnership Steering Committee has developed a four-year strategy to deepen the impact of the OGP’s work. Looking at a growing budget to accomplish its goals, the committee agreed that the OGP “will expect” financial contributions from members. These and other matters were handled at a two-day closed meeting May 4-5 in Bali. […]
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16 May 2014
OGP Steering Committee OKs Civic Space Plan “in Principle”
The Open Government Partnership Steering Committee May 5 agreed “in principle” to procedures that could lead to the expulsion of member governments whose actions undermine the values and principles of OGP. The OGP leaders deferred adoption, however, pending refinement of the language, according to persons who attended the meeting and spoke not for attribution with […]
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12 May 2014
Private Sector Council Makes Plans for OGP Involvement
A Private Sector Council, established to explore ways in which the private sector can engage in Open Government Partnership activities, presented its plans to the OGP Steering Committee in Bali May 5. The council has been developing its goals since late last year and is preparing a final version of a “white paper.” A draft […]
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9 May 2014
Tanzanian Minister Says FOI Legislation Being Prepared
A top minister in Tanzania has stated that a paper proposing a freedom of information bill has been prepared. The disclosure by Constitutional and Legal Affairs Minister Asha-Rose Migiro was reported May 5 in The Guardian. She said the government is committed to observing Open Government Partnership (OGP) as part of its efforts to enhance […]
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6 May 2014
Aruna Roy Rocks OGP Regional Summit in Bali
Judging by enthusiastic tweets, the Open Government Partnership regional summit in Bali got off to a rousing first day, in part because “the spirit of Aruna Roy is contagious!” as one person wrote on Twitter. Roy, the Indian social activist and a leading force behind the Right to Information law, received a lot of Twitter […]
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5 May 2014
CSOs Urge OGP to Address Preserving Civic Space
A statement by 183 representatives of civil society organizations from 31 Asia Pacific countries gathered May 4 in Bali for the Open Government Partnership regional summit highlights three issues. The statement first emphasizes “the importance and need for establishing, expanding and consolidating civic space.” It says, “In some democratic states, civil society space has been […]
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2 May 2014
Japan Hints at Joining Open Government Partnership
Japan has indicated interest in joining the Open Government Partnership, again and tentatively. The suggestion came in one paragraph of a lengthy joint statement issued after a two day visit to the United Kingdom by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. While well short of a commitment to join, the Japanese government apparently indicated “willingness to accelerate the […]
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2 May 2014
Australian PM Decides Against Visit to Indonesia
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has decided not to visit Indonesia for a visit intended to sooth bilateral tensions that also might have led to cementing Australia’s tenuous membership in the Open Government Partnership. The resolution of the OGP membership question was not clear in the wake of the trip’s cancellation May 2. The Australian […]
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2 May 2014
OGP Issues Database on Performance by 43 Countries
The Open Government Partnership has issued a beta version of the data from the Independent Reporting Mechanism assessments of 43 countries. “It is hoped that everyone interested in OGP will use the data to take a fresh look at countries of interest, see where the trends lie, and see if there are lessons to be […]
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28 April 2014
OGP Leaders to Consider Restrictions on Civic Space
The Open Government Partnership Steering Committee May 5 will consider proposed procedures that could lead to the expulsion of member governments whose actions undermine the values and principles of OGP. The policy is aimed to preserving “civic space” after some member governments were seen as repressing freedom of expression. Such behavior particularly concerned the representatives […]
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28 April 2014
FOI Notes: India, US, Malawi, Open Data, OGP Job
India: One winner of the 2014 Goldman Environmental prize, Ramesh Agrawal of India, is an active RTI user. The announcement said: “With a small internet café as his headquarters, Ramesh Agrawal organized villagers to demand their right to information about industrial development projects and succeeded in shutting down one of the largest proposed coal mines […]
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24 April 2014
Australia Reconsidering OGP Membership, Paper Reports
The Australian government under Tony Abbott is “reconsidering” the previous administration’s pledge to join the Open Government Partnership, according to Sean Parnell, reporting in The Australian. An announcement at the early May regional meeting of the OGP in Bali had been widely expected, but Parnell wrote: But Attorney-General George Brandis has instead passed responsibility for […]
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24 April 2014
France Plans to Join OGP; Will Become 64th Member
France will be joining the Open Government Partnership, officials have announced. Minister Marylise Lebranchu April 23 made the pledge at the Paris Conference on Open Data and Open Government. France would be the 64th member, The first hint of France’s plans came last week, buried in a joint communique with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto while […]