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Government of Jamaica

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Government of Jamaica

Overview

The OGP was formally launched on September 20, 2011, by eight (8) founding governments (Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States).  The OGP has subsequently grown to include 78 national members, a growing number of local governments and thousands of civil society participants. Participation in the OGP requires countries to endorse a high-level Open Government Declaration, deliver a National Action Plan (NAP) developed with public consultation with civil society with commitments which advance the OGP values, and commit to independent reporting on its implementation, including through the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM).

The OGP process is guided by the values of:

  • Access to Information

  • Civic Participation

  • Public Accountability

  • Technology and Innovation for Transparency and Accountability

Open Government Partnership

Jamaica’s Background in Open Governance

The GOJ has joined the OGP and committed to the OGP process, as the objectives of the OGP coincide well with the GOJ’s anti-corruption policy and strategies towards achieving greater transparency, accountability, public sector efficiency and the overall strengthening of governance. The Government of Jamaica has a long history of implementing initiatives towards enhancing open governance.

Benefits of Open Governance and the OGP

The OGP was formally launched on September 20, 2011, by eight (8) founding governments (Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States).  The OGP has subsequently grown to include 78 national members, a growing number of local governments and thousands of civil society participants. Participation in the OGP requires countries to endorse a high-level Open Government Declaration, deliver a National Action Plan (NAP) developed with public consultation with civil society with commitments which advance the OGP values, and commit to independent reporting on its implementation, including through the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM).

The OGP process is guided by the values of:

  • Access to Information

  • Civic Participation

  • Public Accountability

  • Technology and Innovation for Transparency and Accountability

The Open Government Partnership Process in Jamaica

Formal Launch of the OGP Process in Jamaica

The public launch of the OGP process in Jamaica was held on January 15, 2021 as a virtual event organised by the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, with keynote address by the Minister of Finance and the Public Service, as the Ministerial focal point for the OGP process in Jamaica. The public launch was attended by representatives of government and civil society in Jamaica, the private sector, the OGP and multilateral institutions, and served as the official launch of the National Action Plan preparation process in Jamaica.

An OGP Webinar on Open Response and Recovery to COVID-19 also was held on February 19, 2021, which was organized by the MOFPS in collaboration with civil society stakeholders.

The engagement of civil society organizations and representatives in the OGP process in Jamaica commenced in 2018. A civil society OGP workshop was held on May 9, 2019 and an OGP civil society working group has continued meeting during 2019-2021.

Establishment of Jamaica’s OGP Multi-Stakeholder Forum

The Multistakeholder Forum (MSF) plays a central role under the OGP model in the process of co-creation of National Action Plans (NAPs), and in the monitoring, reporting and assessment of NAPs. There is no one-size-fits-all model for the MSF, and different countries have adopted different approaches. However, the general recommendations by the OGP are that government and civil society should have an equal standing in the Forum by means of an equal number of representatives, and they should share responsibility for directing and coordinating the Forum.

The Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF) for the OGP process in Jamaica has been established in 2021 with six (6) GOJ members and six (6) Civil Society members, with a GOJ Co-Chair and a Civil Society Co-Chair. The six GOJ members of the MSF were nominated, following letters of invitation sent by the Financial Secretary of the MOFPS to five (5) key Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). The six Civil Society members were selected through a process of nomination and election designed and conducted by civil society stakeholders, with online voting on fifteen nominees by civil society stakeholders taking place over the period June 28-July 9, 2021. The Civil Society Co-Chair was selected by the Civil Society members of the MSF. The first meeting of the MSF was held on August 12, 2021, as a virtual meeting hosted by the MOFPS.

The main purpose of the Multi-Stakeholder Forum is to provide oversight and guidance to the co-creation process for the development, submission, implementation, monitoring and reporting for each National Action Plan for the consecutive two-year action planning cycles for Jamaica under the OGP.

History of Jamaica’s Background in Open Governance

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