From Informing To Empowering: Best Practices And Recommendations For Improving Government-Civil Society Interactions Within OGP

Civic engagement is at the heart of OGP. However given the nascence of the initiative, we are still learning about the extent and the way governments and
the civil society interact within the framework of OGP. This report contributes to this knowledge and examines the critical factors for the success or failure of government-civil society interaction. The key purpose of the research was to inform the OGP Support Unit and Steering Committee members of possible
areas for improvement when it comes to guidelines and support to government and civil society.

Results of our research show that the OGP process represents both challenges and opportunities. A structured approach to government-civil society interaction has proved to be a key opportunity. This includes the existence of a permanent dialogue mechanism that oversees the development and implementation of a country’s National Action Plan (NAP); united civil society actors that pursue OGP related issues; and the OGP format and guidelines that provide a solid framework for discussion between government and civil society. All of these mechanisms foster transparency. They also help to empower civil society and have the potential to enhance its voice, as well as to facilitate interaction with governments.

At the same time, a significant challenge turns out to be the complexity and the technical nature of OGP commitments. Only a narrow circle of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are usually involved in the OGP process, while citizens and smaller NGOs far from the national capitals often lack the capacity
to engage in consultations or simply remain excluded. On the government side, there is a clear need to build capacity among civil servants to carry out effective
and responsive consultations.

The work in this publication was commissioned by Hivos and was carried out with the aid of a wider OGP research grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

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