When governments are transparent, civil society can help ensure leaders are serving their people and not themselves. That’s among the key ideas behind the 70-country Open Government Partnership, CEO Sanjay Pradhan told Devex.
Nearly 5 years old, the OGP provides a toolkit to help governments improve their transparency, accountability and inclusiveness. Members share their own experiences and learn from those of their peers. Put into practice, OGP hopes that its open governance initiatives can help countries reach the sustainable development goals, Pradhan told Devex on the sidelines of OGP's Asia-Pacific Regional Dialogue in Manila last week.
“Open government is a way to ensure that the money allocated for the other goals” such as health, education, poverty, and hunger reaches citizens, he said. “Open government is also a tool to achieve these goals.”