Spain Leads Global Transparency: Assumes Co-Chair of Open Government Partnership
From 1 October 2023 until 30 September 2025, Spain assumes the co-presidency of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a global alliance that brings together government leaders and civil society advocates with the aim of promoting transparent, participatory, inclusive and accountable governance.
Launched in 2011 during the United Nations General Assembly at the urging of President Obama, the OGP seeks to strengthen the principles of transparency, integrity, accountability and stakeholder participation in support of democracy and inclusive development, as set out in the OECD Council Recommendation on Open Government.
The initiative currently brings together 77 countries and 150 local governments, representing more than two billion people, and involves thousands of civil society organisations around the world.
OGP’s work is structured around biannual Action Plans, jointly developed by governments and civil society through a process of sharing innovative methodologies. These plans include concrete commitments in key areas, which are assessed through a dual review mechanism – both internal and external. OGP’s Independent Review Mechanism ensures accountability through comprehensive and impartial assessments of each government’s progress.
Spain is currently finalising its V Action Plan 2024-2028, which will be approved in December 2024. During the public consultation process in March 2024, 80 contributions were received with 411 proposals, 2.5 times more than those registered in the previous plan. This process underlines the Spanish government’s openness towards greater citizen participation.
But what does Spain’s co-chairing of the OGP Steering Committee imply?
In March 2023, Spain presented its candidacy to join the Steering Committee of the Open Government Partnership, being selected along with the United States and Kenya.
Subsequently, at the 8th Open Government Partnership Summit in September 2023, Spain was unanimously elected to co-chair the OGP Steering Committee, together with Cielo Magno, national coordinator of the Philippine organisation Bantay Kita representing civil society.
This co-presidency includes the organisation of the 9th Global Summit, a global event to be held in Vitoria-Gasteiz in autumn 2025, as announced by President Pedro Sánchez. This summit is the main international forum for representatives of public administrations and civil society to discuss open government issues.
What does Spain’s co-presidency programme emphasise?
Spain’s co-presidency programme emphasises three fundamental axes:
- placing the citizen at the centre of decision-making;
- strengthening democracy to make it more resilient and;
- protecting human rights.
In the words of Minister Óscar López, this effort seeks to make democracy go beyond voting at the ballot box, promoting the use of technologies such as open data and artificial intelligence to drive the green and digital transition.
During the event ‘The future is open: how to improve cooperation and drive ambitious reforms through open government’, López stressed the importance of reforms driven by consensus and social participation. Through the initiative: Consensus for an Open Administration, the government seeks to foster citizen trust through innovation and dialogue.
This document constitutes the foundation for the transformation of the public administration, promoting the active participation of all sectors involved. To this end, 18 working groups have been set up and have discussed various proposals in the Public Innovation Laboratory of the National Institute of Public Administration (INAP). From October, a new phase begins in which these projects will be developed in the Public Policy Participation Laboratory (HazLab), through which the collaboration and progress of these initiatives will continue to be promoted.
Once the co-presidency is over, Spain will remain a member of the Steering Committee until September 2026, with the possibility of renewing its participation, reaffirming its commitment to the principles of open government and the improvement of democratic quality.
Mariana Larrosa, FIBGAR Collaborator
