Open Letter to the Special Envoy on Open Government Partnership

The Centre for Environmental Rights and a coalition of civil society organisations express deep dissatisfaction with the South African government's implementation of the Open Government Partnership (OGP). They highlight a lack of a permanent dialogue mechanism, restricted access to information, and the narrowing of democratic space. The letter demands the immediate creation of a permanent, inclusive multi-stakeholder mechanism with specific membership and meeting requirements, threatening recourse through the OGP's Rapid Response Policy if demands are not met.

• The signatories express deep dissatisfaction with the South African government's coordination and implementation of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), noting that while some sector departments have acted, the overall progress is patchy.
• Since the OGP's inception in 2011, South Africa has failed to establish a permanent Multi-Stakeholder Public Dialogue Mechanism, relying instead on ad hoc and non-inclusive consultative initiatives.
• There is a concerning trend in the South African government toward denying access to information, increasing surveillance of civil society and activists, and using rhetoric that labels civil society organisations as "agents of foreign interests".
• The coalition demands the immediate establishment of a permanent dialogue mechanism that meets at least quarterly, includes at least 12 civil society members representing eight commitment areas, and involves all government departments mentioned in the National Action Plan.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2016). Open Letter to the Special Envoy on Open Government Partnership. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Final-OGP-Statement.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. Open Letter to the Special Envoy on Open Government Partnership. 2016. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Final-OGP-Statement.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=Open Letter to the Special Envoy on Open Government Partnership |date=4 May 2016 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Final-OGP-Statement.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2016open, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{Open Letter to the Special Envoy on Open Government Partnership}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2016}, month = may, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Final-OGP-Statement.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }