US government declines to endorse open government declaration ahead of summit

[Alexander Howard]

Hello all —

My apologies for any cross-posting. I hope this message finds you and your well.

Despite sitting on the Open Government Partnership steering committee & co-founded OGP in 2011, the U.S. government did not sign this declaration committing to transparency, accountability, participation, & collaboration. 

OGP did highlight the glaring void, but it’s important to flag it to US networks that might have missed it.

Here are the 5 commitments the Trump administration just declined to endorse: 

🗽Protect democracy & civic space – Reduce barriers to participation and support independent media and civil society
📊 Embed transparency & accountability – Across all levels of government, including public finances and procurement
🤝 Promote international cooperation – Address cross-border challenges like AI governance, climate action, and sustainable development
💡 Mobilize collective leadership – Deliver more effective, equitable, and trusted outcomes for citizens
🚀 Leverage OGP – Share best practices, learn from peers, and accelerate local reforms

I encourage US civil society leaders to consider whether they support this declaration; I have done so for e-PluribusUnum.org. 

If a founding nation can’t endorse such principles and broad actions, I believe we can say that a government no other supports open government and should be made inactive. Propaganda about transparency doesn’t replace action: Potemkin promises and participation theater must not be acceptable for Members in OGP, much less overt authoritarianism.

It’s been clear since January 20 that the Trump administration does not support the Open Government Declaration that all Members nations commit to upholding: 

https://www.opengovpartnership.org/how-we-work/joining-ogp/open-government-declaration/

Unfortunately, OGP leadership & steering committee members have maintained strategic organizational silence about the escalating authoritarianism, illiberalism, corruption, & lies coming from this White House and cabinet leaders across agencies. 

OGP continues to decline to put the USA back under review & prepare for suspension — despite the efforts of US civil society since this spring — even though there’s no co-creation process, no plan for one, no multi-stakeholder forum, advisory committee, or Secretariat.  

https://www.opengovpartnership.org/ogp-response-policy/response-policy-case-united-states/

I believe events and actions will make that position untenable by the end of 2025, which will in turn show silence and inaction to have been poor choices in the face of historic challenges to liberal democracy here and abroad.

Thank you to everyone who has continued to scrub in to support and defend our Constitution: it’s more important than ever to stand up for the civil liberties and freedoms enumerated in that document, lest they become words in a page instead of the guiding principles for governance.

Best,

Alex

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: cielo...@gmail.com <o...@dgroups.org>
Date: Wed, Sep 24, 2025 at 3:07 AM
Subject: [ogp] Invitation to endorse the Vitoria-Gasteiz Declaration - by October
To: OGP Civil Society community <o...@dgroups.org>

Dear colleagues, 

On behalf of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Steering Committee, we are pleased to share the Vitoria-Gasteiz Declaration, adopted ahead of the OGP’s IX Global Summit. This Declaration brings together governments, civil society organizations, and partners worldwide around a shared vision for strengthening democracy, protecting civic space, and advancing open, accountable, and inclusive governance. 

By endorsing the Vitoria-Gasteiz Declaration, governments, civil society, and partners reaffirm their commitment to open government principles and signal their readiness to work together on today’s most pressing global challenges. The Declaration also highlights how governments and civil society can collaborate through open government approaches and leverage multilateral networks—including OGP—as key platforms for cooperation.

We invite all national and local governments, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders worldwide to endorse the Declaration by October 6, 2025.

Please note that individual endorsements (personal capacity of government officials, organization representatives, or citizens) will not be considered. You can find more information about the Declaration and instructions for submitting endorsements here: https://www.opengovpartnership.org/vitoria-gasteiz-declaration/ 

If you have any questions, please contact declara...@opengovpartnership.org 

Best regards,

Cielo

Cielo Magno

CSO Co-Chair

You are receiving this message because you are a member of the community OGP Civil Society community.

View this contribution on the web site

A reply to this message will be sent to all members of OGP Civil Society community.

Reply to all community members | Unsubscribe