New Report-The Open Partnership Annual Summit

On this occasion, thousands of participants representing civil society and government institutions from 60 countries were brought together. The summit has been organized by the Government of the United Kingdom, and it has been opened by the Prime Minister’s speech. During two days, over 400 sessions were presented regarding transparency of information, government integrity, fiscal integrity, empowering citizens and transparency of natural resources. On 30^th October, the day before the Summit, the Civil Society Day was held. It was an opportunity for civil society organizations, that are actively involved in the process of monitoring the implementation of OGP’s initiative (or work on its advocacy), to gather and consider the main deficiencies and omissions in implementation of the initiative in all countries, and to identify examples of a good practice that should be globally applicable.

The OGP initiative was launched in 2011 by the government of the eight countries (the USA, Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Norway, the Philippines and South Africa). From then on, 54 countries joined the Partnership. The OGP represent an opportunity for any government, if it meets the basic requirements of accession, by accepting of the Open Government Declaration, sending a letter of intent, adopting the action plan to join the initiative to undertake the obligation of keeping information and documents related to the functioning of the government (public expenditure, adoption of resolutions and acts, decision making process) fully accessible and transparent, and to cooperate with civil society and citizens .In this way, an insight into the work of the government is being opened, and citizens and civil society have an opportunity to control public expenditure, participate in decision making process, monitor the activities of the envisaged working plan as well as the financial plans of the institutions, and they could be in many other ways actively involved in the activities of the government. This in practice represents the fulfillment of the fundamental goals of the initiative-promote transparency, empower citizens, fight against corruption, harness new technologies for more efficient work of the government.

Given that the Summit gathered 1,000 participants from all over the world, it also represented an opportunity to present specific activates of the civil society organizations and the institutions all around the world, and to establish cooperation with the aim of adopting the best practice. The materials and information about various programs and activities were available every day of the Summit in the exhibition hall of the conference center.

Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina had an opportunity to participate at this year’s Summit as one of the organizers of the session called ‘’Emerging Democracy: the OGP as a Driver for Reform’’. This session has been organized in collaboration with the Center for Public Interest Advocacy and Policy Association for an Open Society. Considering that B&H has not joined the OGP yet, participation of the TIB&H at the Summit, as one of the co-organizers and moderators of the session, represents recognition and confirmation of efforts made by the civil society in B&H to became a member of the OGP, and therefore the state that would be proactive in the transparent functioning of the government and in cooperation with citizens and civil society.

The session has brought together representatives of several countries that are considered to be ‘’emerging democracies’’, and which have already joined the OGP. The panelist who took part in the session were Mrs. Katarina Ott from Croatia, Mr. Vitus Azeem from Ghana and Mr. Renzo Lavin from Argentina, with the representatives of the government of two states which have not officially joined the OGP- Mrs. Ismeta Dervoz as a representative of the Parliamentary Assembly of B&H and Mr. Gëzima Kasapollija, Deputy Minister for European Integration of Kososvo.

Panelist presented examples of good practice from Croatia, Argentina and Ghana- countries where the democratic regime has only been twenty to thirty years old- indicating on the Foundation’s positive aspects, as well as on deficiencies in the process of the implementation that occur during fulfillment of  commitments from the Action Plan. It has also outlined a direction in which B&H and Kosovo should go during the process of joining the OGP, and representatives of these counties expressed dedication and their readiness for cooperation with the ultimate goal of joining the Foundation. The session has brought together a number of participants from countries in transition that made a major contribution to the discussion with examples from their own surrounding.

Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo are the only countries of the Western Balkan that have not join the OGP. In B&H, this question has not even been officially raised, although the majority of fundamental preconditions for joining the Foundation have been fulfilled- fiscal transparency, free access to information, disclosure of property data of public officials and participation of citizens.

In May this year, Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina and the CPI Foundation organized a conference and workshop in order to introduce the OGP to the public of B&H for the first time. On that occasion, the panelist who participated the conference were Mr. Paul Maassen, the OGP coordinator for Civil Society, and Mrs. Helen Darbishire, an international expert on free access to information and open government. The participation of B&H representatives at this year’s Open Government Partnership Summit represents a continuation of activities initiated on the conference, and defines the basis for further actions regarding promotion of the OGP and B&H accession to the Foundation. Transparency International B&H and other civil society organizations will continue to work on such activates in future.[:]