2022 Africa and Middle East Regional Meeting

During the Africa and Middle East Regional Meeting, the OGP Support Unit will be hosting a meeting of the government Points of Contact (POCs). The aim of this session is for PoCs to get to know each other better and promote an exchange on specific strategic issues pertaining to the OGP co-creation and implementation processes. It will be an opportunity to reflect on different topics, such as the institutionalisation of the OGP process, best practices for an inclusive and successful co-creation, and challenges in implementing commitments and achieving strong results.

Since 2011, seventeen governments in Africa and the Middle East have joined the Open Government Partnership that fosters transparency, accountability, and participation as a transformative tool. Within this perspective and its various accompanying political and social contexts, open government is now viewed as a conduit for change in the quality of life of democratic societies and for the citizenry that inhabits them.

The transformative nature of the partnership is yet to be fully realised in the region. We know that OGP countries in the region implement commitments at lower rates than any other region. On average, African and Middle Eastern countries implement 20% fewer commitments than countries in other regions. Although countries in the region generally make more ambitious commitments, this alone does not explain the implementation gap. Some contributing factors include poor co-creation planning and commitment design, poor civil society consultations, low institutionalisation rates and lack of monitoring processes, capacity and resources.

The POC meeting at the regional meeting will explore how countries can improve their OGP processes based on peer learning.