Open Government Partnership Global Summit 2018

The government of Georgia will host the fifth Open Government Partnership Global Summit in Tbilisi, Georgia, from 17-19 July. The summit will provide an opportunity for leaders from OGP’s 75 participating countries, local governments, and beyond to exchange ideas on how they are making their governments more transparent, accountable and responsive to citizens. Register for the Global Summit at www.OGPsummit.org.

NRGI staff will participate in events throughout the summit. A run-down of those events is below. Updates will be posted periodically. 

What Makes For Ambitious Commitments in the Extractives Sector?
Wednesday, July 18
2 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Description
In OGP, natural resource commitments have great transformative potential. Openness in extractives can pave the way for sustainable development, environmental protection and reduction of social conflicts. It therefore comes as no surprise that the top OGP commitment category is natural resources, in comparison to other sectors like health, education or infrastructure. However, there is still a long way to go to ensure that OGP extractive sector commitments are fully implemented and contribute to deterring corruption. This session will present country examples along the extractive value chain and show how ambitious commitments can contribute to mitigating corruption risks and governance reforms.


Speakers

• Ogechukwu Modie, chief of staff, Ministry of Petroleum Resources of Nigeria
• Oleksiy Orlovsky, Democratic Practice Program Initiative director, International Renaissance Foundation (@IRF_Ukraine)
• Walter Palmetshofer (@vavoida), CWTFO, Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland (@okfde)
• Olena Pavlenko, president, DiXi Group
• Elisa Peter (@ElisaPeter), executive director, Publish What You Pay (@PWYPtweets)
• Mario Picon (@mariogpicon), program director, Results for Development (@results4dev)
• Inês Schjølberg Marques, country manager for Anglophone and Lusophone Africa, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (@EITIorg)
• Erica Westenberg, director of governance programs, NRGI
• Marco Angelo Zaplan (@marcozaps), technical policy specialist, Philippine Extractive Industries Initiative Transparency (@PH_EITI)

What's Next on Beneficial Ownership? Company Leadership and Implementation through National Action Plans
Wednesday, July 18
3:30 p.m.-5 p.m.

Description
This session will unpack current efforts to push for a global norm around beneficial ownership transparency, explore exciting technologies (such as OpenOwnership) and take a sector specific look at the extractive industry. We will make a special focus on how companies can and have engaged on this issue. Overall, by reflecting on progress, our aim is to promote a next generation of beneficial ownership transparency commitments for OGP, to advance this issue toward implementation and use of beneficial ownership transparency in upcoming Action Plans.

Moderator

• Robin Hodess (@RobinHodess), director of governance and transparency, The B Team (@thebteamhq)

Speakers

• Yunus Husein, chair, Research Centre on Anti-Money Laundering
• Maira Martini, knowledge coordinator, Transparency International (@anticorruption)
• Zosia Stzykowski, project lead, Open Ownership (@OpenOwnership)
• James Swenson (@JamesSwenson1), global head of proposition for risk managed services, Thomson Reuters (@thomsonreuters)
• David Ugolor, executive director, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice
• Erica Westenberg, director of governance programs, NRGI

Civil Society's Role in Opening Government and Monitoring Civic Space: Restrictive Trends and Creative Responses
Wednesday, July 18
3:30 p.m.-5 p.m.

Description
Governments and non-state actors are increasingly arbitrary and debilitating restrictions on the operating space for civil society organizations, social movements, and activists. Much of the current analyses on civic space restrictions disproportionately focus on legal provisions; however, as shown by the CIVICUS Monitor, the tactics and strategies used by states and non-state actors are multi-layered and convoluted. Notably, technology is being deliberately used for the surveillance, intimidation, and blackmailing of activists and their movements, exacerbating existing power structures and systemic inequalities.

A healthy civic space enabling meaningful civic participation and allowing to expose human rights violations and call governments to account is critical for the OGP process. This workshop will help identify key challenges and trends pertaining to civic space restrictions as well as creative civil society responses that may enable governments to design better policies and become more responsive to citizens’ needs and demands. It will aim at encouraging critical debate and producing concrete recommendations for the OGP process, including eligibility criteria, mechanisms, and standards.

Speakers

• Duncan Woods, director of global initiatives and impact, Publish What You Pay (@PWYPtweets)
• Suneeta Kaimal (@suneetajan), chief operating officer, NRGI 
• Semanur Karaman, project lead, Tactical Tech (@Info_Activism)
• Inés Pousadela (@inespousadela), research specialist, Civicus: World Alliance for Citizen Participation (@CIVICUSalliance)
• Alex Sardar (@alexsardar), chief innovation officer, Civicus: World Alliance for Citizen Participation (@CIVICUSalliance)