OGP IRM United States Action Plan Review 2022–2024 posted for public comment

[Open Government Secretariat]

Hello Open Government Community,

We wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know that the Open Government Partnership’s (OGP) Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) has just posted their United States Action Plan 2022–2024 review for public comment. This review focuses on the process of co-creating our 5th Open Government National Action Plan. As you will see, this report highlights areas that provide us with opportunities to improve. We are committed to doing better, holding ourselves accountable for our work, and continuing to learn how we can foster accountability and transparency as we look forward to the development of the co-creation process for the future US 6th Open Government National Action Plan.

Sincerely,

  

Open Government Secretariat

[Alexander Howard]

Dear Open Government Secretariat,

This independent report confirms what we've been saying in this forum for years now: the U.S. government did not co-create a new NAP with us, kept civil society at a distance online, and delivered a report full of vague, mostly pre-existing commitments — many of which are not relevant to open government. 

Respectfully, the Open Government Partnership Independent Review Mechanism did not recommend that you look forward to developing a new plan in 2024. 

The IRM "recommends that the government collaborates with civil society to identify commitments with the most potential and transform them into SMART commitments” — now.

The IRM provided a concrete roadmap before the next cycle:

“Given its size and scope, NAP5 lends itself to a filtering process that can yield a reasonable number of reformulated commitments with enhanced ambition and potential to generate significant results. Section II presents a selection of verifiable commitments with an open government lens that have been identified as promising due to their relevance to key stakeholders and to the national context as well as their potential to produce binding, institutionalized, or lasting change.”

 

The IRM identified six “promising commitments” in a policy area that important to stakeholders or the national context which are verifiable, have an open government lens, and modest or substantial potential for results: 

Commitment 1: Production, dissemination, and use of equitable data 

Commitment 4: Public access to federally funded research 

Commitment 8: Data for environmental justice Commitment 18: Government-wide anti-corruption strategy 

Commitment 27: Access to government information through FOIA 

Commitment 35: Effective and accountable policing and criminal justice

The good governance community also called on the US government to add new commitments to the 5th NAP in August, which the White House has so far declined to do — despite a mechanism that would allow it, as in the 3rd NAP. 

https://governing.digital/letters/letter-to-president-biden-on-advancing-ambitious-new-commitments-on-open-government-to-defend-democracy/

If the US government wishes to be a credible member of the Steering Community & reclaim global leadership in open government, please bring this IRM report back to the White House, respond formally to the contrary to process letter and the coalition letter to the President, & bring senior officials to roundtables this winter to fix a an opaque process and rebuild relationships.

Make those “smart” & add 3 commitments that civil society asked for, & implement them in the open. If the administration earns back trust, civil society might come back to the table to build on that foundation in 2024.

Thank you for your continued service and dedication to improving on the past.

-Alex

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Alexander B. Howard

Director, Digital Democracy Project | governing.digital

E-PluribusUnum.org | @OpenGov

410.849.9808 | @digiphile | He / him