Background
The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder global initiative with over 80 countries participating. The focus of the OGP is to improve government transparency, accountability, integrity, corporate governance, and responsiveness to citizens. OGP brings together government, private sector, and civil society organizations and promote information sharing and consultative decision making, development planning, policy formulation, and consultative budgeting. The OGP recognizes that the governments are much likely to be effective and credible if they open their doors to public inputs and oversight.
PNG in the OGP
On the 7th May, 2014, at the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference in Bali, Republic of Indonesia, Hon. Rimbink Pato, former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade gave Papua New Guinea’s intention to become an OGP member country. The intention was formally endorsed on the 3rd of September, 2015 through a National Executive Council (NEC) Decision No. 285/2015. Finally, PNG’s intention to be an OGP member country was accepted and officially announced by the OGP Co-chairs on the 28th October, 2015 at the OGP Global Summit in Mexico. The NEC endorsement and being an OGP Member, it commits PNG to provide an “open government to hence effective service delivery to its citizens”. This in essence aligns the visions and aspirations envisioned in the National Constitution, enhance the Directive Principles of the Preamble of the Constitution.