Independent Report Mechanism unveils methodologies and procedures to assess the action plans of the different states and local governments belonging to the Open Government Partnership

During the event held at the Historical Archive of the Basque Country in Bilbao, the Independent Report Mechanism (IRM) manager, Gustavo Pérez Ara, Senior Research Officer at the Open Government Partnership (OGP), unveiled the methodology, procedures and dynamics  developed at IRM to access the action plans of the different states and local governments belonging to the OGP.

The dissemination-training event, organised by the OGP Basque Country institutions, was attended by the Regular Forum, the Open Forum and the commitment groups that are currently implementing the OGP Basque Country’s action plan.  The speaker also explained the process assessment, its methodology and practical expertise acquired through its long track record.

The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multilateral initiative that seeks to ensure specific commitments of subnational and national governments to foster open government, empower citizens further, fight corruption and use new technologies to strengthen governance. In accordance with its multisectoral spirit of cooperation, the OGP is supervised by a management committee that includes representatives of governments and civil society organisations.

Independent Report Mechanism (IRM) is a key way for all the stakeholders to monitor OGP progress in the participating countries. The IRM produces independent annual progress reports for each country taking part in the OGP. The progress reports assess the governments in terms of the development and implementation of the OGP action plans, progress in compliance of the open government principles and make technical recommendations for improvement. Those reports seek to stimulate dialogue and foster responsibility between the member governments and the general public.