CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION IN THE OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP (OGP)

The report examines how civil society organizations (CSOs) engage with the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a multi-stakeholder initiative (MSI) designed to increase government transparency and civic participation. Through case studies of Georgia, South Africa, and Indonesia, the authors analyze the gap between the OGP's 'co-creation' aspirations and the reality of government dominance. Georgia is presented as a success story where a permanent multi-stakeholder forum fostered genuine partnership, while South Africa is characterized by tokenism and a lack of political will. Indonesia's experience is described as mixed, with active CSOs facing logistical hurdles and a restrictive political environment. The report concludes that while MSIs can open spaces for dialogue, their success depends on political commitment, institutional structures like permanent forums, and the ability of CSOs to form strategic coalitions.

• Georgia is considered an OGP success story due to strong political commitment and the establishment of the Open Government Georgia’s Forum in 2014, a permanent platform co-chaired by government and civil society. This structure enabled the co-creation of National Action Plans (NAPs), resulting in the full or substantial completion of 25 out of 41 commitments.
• In South Africa, the OGP process is characterized by tokenism and a lack of government priority, with the initiative often used as a tool for diplomatic prestige rather than domestic reform. Of 15 reviewed NAP commitments, only one is complete, and five have been withdrawn.
• Indonesia's experience with the OGP is described as both worthwhile and flawed. While it has an active civil society and has completed 24 of 46 reviewed commitments, the consultation process for the second NAP failed to follow OGP guidelines, and the government modified the plan without civil society input.
• A recurring risk in multi-stakeholder initiatives is 'open-washing,' where governments create a tokenistic appearance of partnering with civil society organizations to signal a commitment to transparency without granting substantive influence.
• The effectiveness of civil society participation in the OGP is often limited to 'the usual suspects,' consisting of professionalized, well-resourced organizations based in major cities, which can exclude broader citizen representation.
• The report identifies that the institutional 'home' and the presence of a permanent forum are critical for success; Georgia's permanent forum contrasts with Indonesia's ad hoc arrangements and South Africa's total lack of an equivalent mechanism.
• Beyond specific policy outcomes, the primary value of MSIs like the OGP and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is their ability to create new spaces for dialogue and shift governance culture toward inclusion.

APA

Corrigan, T., & Gruzd, S. (2018). CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION IN THE OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP (OGP). South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-MSIs-Civil-Society.pdf

Chicago

Corrigan, Terence, and Steven Gruzd. CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION IN THE OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP (OGP). South African Institute of International Affairs, 2018. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-MSIs-Civil-Society.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Corrigan |first1=Terence |last2=Gruzd |first2=Steven |title=CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION IN THE OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP (OGP) |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=April 2018 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-MSIs-Civil-Society.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{corrigan2018civil, author = {Corrigan, Terence and Gruzd, Steven}, title = {{CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION IN THE OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP (OGP)}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2018}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-MSIs-Civil-Society.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }