NEWS

A few months earlier when OGP was designing the 2014 Awards competition, there was unanimous agreement that the theme should reflect one of the core values of OGP – citizen engagement. The theme was essentially asking the question – how are governments involving citizens in designing and implementing public policy and services, how has the process benefited both government and citizens, and is it a sustainable program? We wanted to shine the spotlight on those government reformers who were breaking barriers to implement and scale up ideas, actively partnering with civil society and truly inviting citizens to engage with their government. The Awards were acting as the incentivizing vehicle to draw out these reformers, and stimulate a race to the top among OGP participating countries.

Thirty-three countries applied - most of them joint applications between governments and civil society organizations. An international cast of 22 judges from 20 countries, representing governments, civil society, multilaterals and the private sector scored each application. When the results were calculated, the initiatives that finished in the top 10 were all rich in content but extremely diverse in terms of their approach. While the Peruvian initiative invited children’s ideas to help the city council meet their needs, the Danish initiative legally empowered senior citizens to have a say in local government policy. As Igor Vidačak, one of the judges noted, reviewing the applications was a “wonderful learning experience and truly inspiring to see so many great initiatives”.

As the teams were announced and they stood up, we hope that they looked around and found faces of allies who were working toward the same goal. We hope that the thrill of being honored at a global event with 10 Heads of State and an audience of over 600 participants will send a powerful signal to other reformers that this moment could be theirs next year. And if their Head of Government is as spirited as the Prime Minister of Denmark, they may even land a photo-op with the President of the United States…!

So stay tuned for the announcement of the 2015 Open Government Awards!

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Today, at long last, we are thrilled to announce the official launch of the Open Government Awards competition for 2014, focused on the theme of citizen engagement. As explained here, each OGP participating country is invited to submit one application to this year’s competition, and the initial registration deadline is May 30, 2014. With the clock now ticking, there’s no time like the present to get ready to throw your hat in the ring.

The demand from citizens for open, honest and accountable governments is common across the world. Any government that does not respond risks its legitimacy.  

Today, the Open Government Partnership (OGP), which has civic participation at its core, is launching a prize to recognize innovation in citizen engagement from the 63 participating countries. The Open Government Awards will become an annual event, and this year’s winners will be announced at a high-level event in September on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.

No government has a monopoly on good ideas or can thrive without feedback. The Awards will recognize government reformers and their civil society partners who are finding creative ways to open up government to citizen input and oversight. This is never an easy process. It challenges both government and civil society to take risks, but the returns can be immense. By establishing cultures and practices of public engagement, welcoming criticism and new ideas, governments can spur growth and development and foster greater trust.

In practice, this means providing citizens and civil society access to government information, personnel and decision-making processes. By requiring governments to consult with civil society in developing and implementing OGP national action plans, OGP provides a useful platform for collaboration. In keeping with this spirit, the OGP Awards strongly encourage joint applications from government and civil society, and require at least one letter of validation from a civil society organization. An independent panel of judges – including experts from government, civil society, and the private sector – will select the winners.

Our guiding principle for this year’s Awards is that every initiative has to demonstrate marked improvements in the design or implementation of public policies and services – and show how it did so through engaging citizens. So while the Awards seek to reward innovation, they are equally about results. From the outset, we have understood that the most important metric of success in OGP is not lofty commitments, but real change in the lives of people. By showcasing real examples of progress in open government, we hope to inspire learning and action and delivery in a ‘race to the top’ across member countries.

Opening up government to citizen’ ideas and oversight is not easy and not always popular. This is a chance for government reformers and civil society partners to be recognized internationally for their efforts, and to build political support for sustaining their work. You can help identify these efforts on the Awards website. Registration must be completed by the end of May so we encourage applications to start soon.

Dr Kuntoro Mangkusubroto is Head of the President's Delivery Unit for Development, Monitoring & Oversight in Indonesia, and government co-chair of OGP.

Rakesh Rajani is Head of Twaweza, and civil-society co-chair of OGP. 

We are very excited to announce that the Judges for the Open Government Awards are now featured on the website. Each judge for the Open Government Awards is a highly credible and qualified individual. They represent a mix of both government officials and civil society leaders from diverse regions. Click here to read more about our Judges.