The Private Sector Council on Open Governance is seeking examples of corporate or business-oriented programs to promote better governance in countries and communities around the world. For instance:
- Microsoft has held open data hackathons to develop applications for disaster reduction and recovery, in cooperation with the Government of the Philippines and the World Bank.
- The Makati Business Club has established a Coalition Against Corruption to support projects in procurement reform and delivery of public services, in cooperation with academe, the business sector, civil society organizations, and the Church.
- The Thomson Reuters Foundation ranked the transport systems in terms of safety for women in 16 major cities. In each city, it surveyed women and experts focused on women’s rights, gender equality, urban planning and gender-friendly urban spaces.
To submit your examples to the Private Sector Council, please complete the questionnaire by September 30. Your examples will help to map and communicate private sector roles in governance partnerships and better align governance programming with existing private sector strengths. Our aim is not to raise funding for partnerships but to identify and share effective practices. We will share the results of the survey at the 2015 OGP Global Summit in Mexico City, Mexico.
The Private Sector Council was established in 2013 to engage diverse businesses and entrepreneurs in promoting open governance, economic growth, and local innovations. The Council coordinates private sector participation in the Open Government Partnership: a 65-country alliance of governments, civil society, and other stakeholders to promote transparency, accountability, and civic participation within member countries.
What we are looking for:
The Council invites examples from any of the 65 participating countries of the Open Government Partnership of initiatives that promote the core values of the partnership:
- Transparency: of government-held information; mechanisms to strengthen open access to government information.
- Accountability: rules and mechanisms for government actors to justify their actions and performance; act upon criticisms or commitments.
- Participation: citizens engage in dialogue on government policies or programs; provide input or feedback leading to more responsive, effective governance.
- Technology and Innovation: open access to technology; increasing the capacity of citizens to use technology.
In particular, private sector programs and partnerships that apply these values to address the following social challenges are welcomed:
- Improving Public Services—measures that address the full spectrum of citizen services including health, education, criminal justice, water, electricity, telecommunications, and any other relevant service areas by fostering public service improvement or private sector innovation
- Increasing Public Integrity—measures that address corruption and public ethics, access to information, campaign finance reform, and media and civil society freedom
- More Effectively Managing Public Resources—measures that address budgets, procurement, natural resources, and foreign assistance
- Creating Safer Communities—measures that address public safety, the security sector, disaster and crisis response, and environmental threats
- Increasing Corporate Accountability—measures that address corporate responsibility on issues such as the environment, anti-corruption, consumer protection, and community engagement
We are interested to hear about actual projects and services; consultative processes that engage business and other stakeholders; and principles-based initiatives. Examples from national OGP programs and independent initiatives are both welcome.
We will be grateful to receive your completed questionnaire by September 30.
For additional information about the Private Sector Council on Open Governance, contact: Kim Bettcher, Center for International Private Enterprise: kbettcher@cipe.org.
Published Date: July 16, 2015