Georgia to Assume OGP Chairmanship

Georgian delegation, led by the Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, left for New York on Sunday in order to participate in the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and within the event, to assume the chairmanship of the Open Government Partnership (OGP).

For the first time Georgia has become the chair of the OGP  for a year about to be delegated from France to Georgia.

“It is the first instance in OGP's history for Georgia to chair this organization bringing together organizations (initiatives) from 75 countries,” Georgian Prime Minister’s Press Office reports.

Kvirikashvili is scheduled to deliver a speech at the 72nd Session.

The Georgian delegation will stay in New York on September 18-22 and hold various high-rank meetings.

The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.

To become a member of OGP, participating countries must endorse a high-level Open Government Declaration, deliver a country action plan developed with public consultation, and commit to independent reporting on their progress going forward.

The Open Government Partnership was launched on September 20, 2011, when the 8 founding governments -Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States- endorsed the Open Government Declaration, and announced their country action plans. Since 2011, OGP has welcomed the commitment of 67 additional governments to join the Partnership.

In total, 75 OGP participating countries and 15 subnational governments have made over 2,500 commitments to make their governments more open and accountable.

UNGA 72 will address the theme, ‘Focusing on people: striving for peace and a decent life for all on a sustainable planet.’

A number of events will take place in parallel to the opening of the 72nd session of the UNGA, including Global Goals Week 2017 and Climate Week NYC 2017.

By Thea Morrison