ARTICLE 19 welcomes progress made by the government of Senegal towards meeting its Open Government Partnership (OGP) commitments under the National Plan of Action. The establishment of a National Steering Committee is a positive move towards ensuring transparency and openess in public institutions and promoting civic engagement in government initiatives.
ARTICLE 19 Senegal and West Africa and all members of the open government community in Senegal look forward to assisting the government to successfully implement its OGP commitments in Senegal.
On 20 June 2024, Minister of Justice Ousmane Diagne signed decree No. 009751 MJ/DPBG, officially establishing the National Steering Committee, which will include representatives from civil society organisations and from public institutions. The Steering Committee will enable stakeholders to be actively involved in the decision-making progress. This development marks a significant milestone towards achieving its commitments and is one of the most pivoltal moments since Senegal joined the OGP in 2018.
Alfred Nkuru Bulakali, Regional Director of ARTICLE 19 Senegal and West Africa, said:
‘This success today is a result of ARTICLE 19 and peer civil society organisations’ tireless advocacy, and further reinforces our close collaboration with the Directorate of Good Governance (DPBG) and the Ministry of Justice. The establishment of the steering group is also evidence of the impact that civil society and the government can achieve when we work in a collaborative manner to advance transparency, access to information, more inclusive citizen participation, and responsible digital governance and innovation to serve national development. This decree comes at a critical time and provides the necessary legitimacy to the steering committee to hold institutions tasked with responsibilities accountable for achieving the government’s commitments under the National Action Plan.’
ARTICLE 19 reminds the government of Senegal that establishing a national steering committee is a crucial step, but it is insufficient on its own. To ensure Senegal upholds its commitments under the OGP, it is essential to allocate adequate resources and implement further reforms.
‘We now urge the government to provide the committee with the necessary means to effectively carry out its functions. The government should accelerate the necessary reforms for open government, including the adoption of the law on access to information, compliance with the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FITI) to reinstate Senegal’s participation in the mechanism, and enhancing citizen participation in the budgetary process, with a particular focus on youth involvement. Additionally, we call for the strengthening of the anti-corruption system by adopting a law to protect whistleblowers, and to strengthen the protection of persons with disabilities by enhancing access to social services, in line with the commitments in the National Action Plan 2, launched on 6 June 2024’, said Alfred Bulakali.
Background
The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multilateral initiative that seeks to promote openness, transparency, and integrity in governance, including through leveraging new technologies. The initiative also seeks to enhance public engagement with governance. The OGP was launched at the instigation of United States President Barack Obama in 2011, bringing together eight countries: Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. As of today, 75 countries and 155 local jurisdictions participate in this initiative, together with thousands of civil society organisations.
Senegal joined the OGP in 2018 following an evaluation that resulted in a score of 12 out of 16 of the OGP’s eligibility criteria.
To meet the requirement to set up a framework for dialogue and consultation, Senegal has set up a working committee at national level with the aim of better fostering collaboration between the government, civil society and other non-governmental stakeholders.
However, despite the adoption of the first National Action Plan 2021-2023 (NAP1), failure to institute the committee has always been an obstacle. The steering committee lacked the legitimacy needed to engage administrative services and hold relevant officials and authorities accountable for achieving assigned objectives. As a result, in June 2023, Senegal’s score was 63%, – below the 75% threshold required for OGP members, thus threatening the country’s eligibility. The Independent Evaluation Mechanism report noted these difficulties, and also raised the issue that none of the 12 commitments of the NAP1 had seen significant progress.
With the launch of second National Action Plan (NAP2) on 6 June 2024, there is now an opportunity to overcome these past challenges. The newly-established national steering committee, along with individuals and groups committed to the plan’s objectives, can now work collaboratively without restrictions to monitor and demand for the successful implementation of NAP2. Achieving these objectives will be crucial to improving Senegal’s OGP score and ultimately provide people in Senegal with the benefits of an open government.
For more information, please contact:
Abdoulaye Ndiaye, Access to information and Transparency Programme Officer and Representative of ARTICLE 19 in the OGP Steering Committee.
Email : abdoulaye.ndiaye@article19.org; Tel : +221338690322
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