Government widens doors to civic, public engagement

As part of its drive for participatory governance and increased civil society engagement, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will participate in the 2^nd Annual Open Government Partnership (OGP) Conference from April 17 to 18 in Brasilia, Brazil.

“The OGP Conference gives us an avenue for exchanging key ideas that go beyond participatory leadership. It’s also about affirming our commitment to transparent, accountable, and effective governance, the very same brand of leadership that can pave the way for genuine socioeconomic growth in the Philippines,” Budget and Management Secretary Florencio B. Abad said.

Eight delegates from the DBM and two from the World Bank will be joining hundreds of other representatives from 50 countries in the OGP Conference. These include President Rousseff of Brazil, President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of the United States of America.

“The conference will allow us not only to learn from our peers around the world; it also gives us the opportunity to share our best practices in accountable governance to an international audience, as well as our own blueprint for creating wider spaces for civic and public participation from a uniquely Filipino perspective,” Abad said.

Departing from the common format in global meetings, the 2^nd Annual OGP Conference will not focus on keynote speeches delivered by country leaders. Instead, heads of government will share the stage with civil society organizations and members of the private sector as equal partners in the openness initiative. Participants will be tasked to recognize new commitments to participatory and accountable leadership, as well as challenge the Philippines to fulfill its promises.

“The government can no longer claim that it knows how to solve national problems better than anyone else. In fact, our partners in the private sector and civil society are well positioned to offer valuable insights on governance, especially with respect to stimulating sustained economic growth, [and] fighting corruption and poverty,” Abad said.

The OGP is a multilateral initiative that secures commitments from participating countries to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and tap innovative technologies to strengthen governance.

The initiative is managed by a steering committee of governments and civil society organizations. The Philippines is one of eight founding governments for the initiative, together with Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, South Africa, United Kingdom, and United States. Since its inception in September 2011, 43 more governments have joined the OGP and affirmed their commitment to transparent, accountable, and participatory governance.

“We live in unprecedented times, where information travels faster than it ever has, and data [are] shared at a prodigious rate. The government is under closer scrutiny by the public, and we are increasingly being held accountable for our actions. We need to keep up by opening ourselves further to the people whose lives are directly affected by the very reforms we’re pushing,” Abad said.

http://www.gov.ph/2012/04/15/govt-widens-doors-to-civic-public-engagement/