OGP UK 2011 national action plan: self assessment report

Today, almost 2 years since the UK’s initial involvement and the official launch of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in New York, we are publishing the self-assessment report on the UK National Action Plan, originally published in September 2011.

Back in the spring of 2011, the UK government was one of the founding members of the OGP, sharing the excitement of being in at the start of a new global movement and discussing how best to shape it. Around the world, there were clear signs of a growing appetite for openness in government that had to be satisfied: we had to take action and be part of the movement or be left behind. We wanted the OGP to be a voluntary initiative, but participating countries had to demonstrate real commitment to change and make a difference. The national action plans are the living proof of governments’ desire to become more accountable to their citizens and in this way, earn their place in the partnership.

The first UK Action Plan was drafted in the very early days of the OGP, when we and our partners were still clarifying the scope of civil society engagement, implementation periods, reviewing mechanisms and so on. So much has happened since, and this report is an honest account of the UK’s performance to date and how much our agenda has evolved.

The consultation will remain open for 2 working weeks until 15 April 2013. A final report will be published on 19 April 2013. The Independent Reporting Mechanism will use this material to conduct their own review. Please read the report and post your comments on data.gov.uk. Although we anticipate that people may have different views, our commitment to listen and engage is genuine and it is this approach that has been guiding the ongoing work to develop the new national action plan, which we expect to publish at the end of October.