The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is just four years old, but already has the potential to help fight against restrictions on civil society space. It will only achieve that, however, if it helps countries develop commitments that protect civil society and recognises the corrosive role of money in politics. It seems self-evident that open governments need open societies. It should therefore be hard to imagine a government committing to increased transparency and engagement with citizens while at the same time incarcerating citizens for stating an opinion. Disturbingly, this is exactly what is happening in a growing number of countries today. Given the innovative underpinnings of the OGP, what can this grouping of governments and civil society do to collectively tackle the shrinking space phenomenon? Read more in the blog post written by Tanja Hafner Ademi, BCSDN’s Executive Director, and Cathal Gilbert from CIVICUS, published now at the OGP blog. More information is available here.
Source: OGP