Open Government Partnership monitoring team set up

Economynext: Sri Lanka is to set up a team of people from state and civil society to monitor how official commitments under the Open Government Partnership (OGP) aimed at making government more transparent and accountable are carried out, a government spokesman said. 

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the Open Government Partnership Action Plan and the setting up of a ‘Steering Committee’ to monitor its implementation, acting Media Minister Karunarathne Paranavithana said. 

The steering committee will be headed by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and comprise of relevant ministers and stakeholders, he told a 
news conference.

The OGP was established internationally in 2011 as a multilateral initiative that encourages governments to promote transparency, empower citizens and stand against corruption.
Paranavithana said the action plan in the fields of good governance, accountability, transparency, public participation and fight against corruption will be implemented within two years. 
The OGP is seen as a mode for citizens and civil society to participate in policymaking and find solutions in partnership with the government with progress monitored by the 
steering committee.