Open Government Declaration urges the government to respect the values of the "Open Government"

  The Open Government Partnership was formally launched on September 20, 2011, at the sidelines of a UN General Assembly meeting when the Heads of State from 8 founding governments (Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, South Africa, United Kingdom, and the United States) endorsed the Open Government Declaration. The 38 governments made commitment to join OGP. The open partnership Declaration indicates that people all around the world are demanding more openness in government. They are calling for greater civic participation in public affairs, and seeking ways to make their governments more transparent, responsive, accountable, and effective, at the same time  fight corruption, empower citizens.

Governments signed the declaration acclaiming their commitment in 4 directions:

1. Increase the availability of information about governmental activities.
2. Support civic participation in public affairs
3. Implement the highest standards of professional integrity throughout  administrations
4. Increase access to new technologies for openness and accountability.

Azerbaijan was among the first countries to declare intent to join the Open Government Partnership. Government adopted two important  documents, Action Plan on the Implemention of Open Government Partnership during 2012-2015 and National Action Plan Combating Corruption  during 2012-2015 in 2012, the next year after joining the initiative.

According to the independent estimations, government not only unimplemented its obligations under the Action Plan, but also enforced limitations against civilians launching public monitoring of the process. In the result, function of independent NGO’s is restricted in the country from the second term of 2014.

Subsequent Action Plan  scheduled to be launched by July 2015, was put off. New “Action Plan on the implemention of Open Government Partnership during 2016-2018” was adopted on April 27, 2016. 

According to the requirements of “Response Policy”  adopted on September 2014 by the Steering Comittee of the Open Government Partnership  member coutries should refrain from limiting civilians’ access to information, they should restrict actions against the functioning of NGO’s, as well as acceptance of  funding from external and internal fonds by NGO’s. Due to the document  government should prevent limitation on critical thinking, at the same time government should abstain manipulations during discussions with civil society and they should accept NGO’s as stakeholder and also they should refrain from restricting freedom of affiliation and expression.

The obligatory involvement of civil society to the implementation of action plans on government transparency and accountability  is the main  advantage of the open government partnership. The representation of governments without civil society as well as the governments rejecting civil society as stakeholder possesing equal rights is impossible in the Open Government Partnership.

The Steering Committee of the Open Government Partnership resolved that Azerbaijan designated as inactive in OGP on May 4 2016 in Cape Town, due to unresolved constraints on the operating environment for Non-Governmental Organizations. Azerbaijan had been participating in OGP since 2011. The decision was the first time that OGP had taken action under its Policy on Upholding the Values and Principles of OGP, known as the Response Policy, adopted in 2014.

The government of Azerbaijan will have a period of one year to demonstrate that the original concerns have been addressed. During this time period government should undertake concrete measures to resolve problems regarding civil society.  While inactive, Azerbaijani government will not be eligible to vote in Steering Committee elections, and can only attend OGP events as observers for learning purposes. While inactive, Azerbaijan will continue to receive Steering Committee and Support Unit assistance, including from OGP Working Groups and peer exchange visits.

Civil Society Platform regrets that Azerbaian is the only country to be selected inactive from among the member countries of OGP and calls the government to undertake all necessary obligations as soon as possible. The government should give major role to tranparancy, accountability,  civil participation in its functions as well as to improve governance. People should be able to get access to premium services. Civil Society Platform reveals that, Azerbaijan should hold discussions with civil society on creating consultative  mechanism with civil society on the enlargement of open government initiatives as well as to form platform uniting civil society, at the same time the government should pay attention to civil society attitudes and they should debate with them.

Civil Society Platform calls all members of civil society to enhance actions in order to create independent Platform , and platform urges the goverment to upright this inititaive and to establish equal circumstances for all sides.

The “Civil Society Platform” was founded on 10 February 2016 by 26 well-known human rights activists, lawyers, economists and journalists with the purpose to publicly discuss and find due solutions to the most urgent problems of Azerbaijan. The CSP Manifesto states "We believe in our future! We aim at free, fair and democratic Azerbaijan! Our creative and progressive power will bring us to this destination!”—0--