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Sri Lanka joins 70-nation Open Government Partnership
View(s):Move to empower citizens, foster 21st century state; Sirisena heads steering committee
President Maithripala Sirisena will head a National Steering Committee that will monitor the Government’s ambitious Open Government Partnership, a programme that links 70 countries. Sri Lanka was invited to join the Partnership this month.
The Cabinet of Ministers endorsed a declaration two weeks ago to join the Partnership. Its main aim is to “commit to foster a global culture of open government that empowers and delivers for citizens while advancing the ideals of open and participatory 21st century government.”
The move came on a proposal made by Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera.
He has noted that the OGP had been formally launched on September 20, 2011 when eight founding governments (Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States) endorsed the OGP declaration.
Minister Samaraweera has said in his memorandum that “as a result of the positive steps taken by the Government within 100 days following the January 2015 Presidential Election in this direction, and the good governance agenda of the National Unity Government, which is in line with the objectives of the Open Government Partnership, Sri Lanka was invited to join the OGP in October 2016.”
He has said that the OGP is a multilateral initiative that encourages governments to make commitments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governments, learning from each other’s experiences and in partnership with civil society within the country.