New Open Government Partnership action plan is open for public consultation

04.06.2018 | 10:05

News

The Government Office has submitted for public consultation the Open Government Partnership (OGP) action plan for 2018–2020, which focuses on open and inclusive policymaking.

The aim of the action plan is to foster open and inclusive policy-making at a national as well as a local level. At the national level, requirements will be defined for creating a new information system that would support a more inclusive process of drafting legislation. Trainings and advice will be provided to promote earlier and more substantial civic engagement.

At the local level, support will be provided for developing and implementing local open government action plans. In addition, an easy-to-use tool will be created, where the public can compare the quality levels of public services in different local governments. Further work will be done to increase the openness of the Estonian parliament and develop skills for participatory democracy in school education.

The Open Government Partnership (OGP), established in 2011, is a multilateral initiative that aims to promote good governance across the world. Open government means exercising authority honestly, transparently, and in partnership with citizens. Estonia joined the partnership in 2012. 75 countries have signed up to the partnership to date.

Estonia’s aim in participating in the partnership is to direct the attention of public administration and society as a whole to the quality of government, to learn from other countries’ experiences, and to share Estonia’s experiences with the other participating countries. The partnership is coordinated by the Government Office and Estonia is represented internationally by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Two-year action plans are prepared and monitored to carry out the principles of the partnership. The 2018–2020 action plan is the fourth of its kind for Estonia and was compiled by the coordinating body of the OGP – a cooperation forum of different parties which is led by the State Secretary and includes representatives of non-governmental partners, the parliament, local authorities, and ministries.

The draft that has been presented for public consultation can be found here.

Additional information: Merilin Truuväärt, Adviser of the Strategy Unit of the Government Office, +372 693 5222, [email protected]