The conversation on governance priorities in PNG, has been opened by the PNG Open Government Partnership (OGP); the single largest multi-stakeholder initiative promoting good governance and a people-focused democracy in PNG.
The dialogue began when the OGP was launched on Thursday 9 September, 2021.
The two-day conference was co-hosted by the Department of National Planning and Monitoring and Transparency International PNG (as the PNG OGP co-chairs) in Port Moresby and in partnership with the European Union (EU).
The focus was on providing an update to the people of PNG on the implementation of the seven national commitments under four primary clusters in PNG’s first OGP National Action Plan (NAP) 2018-2021, which include; Freedom of Information, Public Participation, Fiscal Transparency, and Extractive Resources Transparency.
Interested organizations and civic groups were given the opportunity to engage in the OGP co-creation process, by giving their recommendations on what they believe should be the key priorities for the second PNG OGP NAP 2021- 2023.
During the official opening, TIPNG Chairman, Peter Aitsi stated that while the PNG OGP initiative is built on a foundation of public participation and consultation, this was not only essential to building sustainable frameworks for good governance but also to reinstate public trust in PNG democratic systems and processes.
“The ambition of the PNG OGP encompasses TIPNG’s anti-corruption focus but also goes beyond that to the very heart of representative and participatory democracy in PNG. We (TIPNG) have continued to support the OGP process in a voluntary capacity, because it directly contributes to our national goals and directive principles, as enshrined in our PNG Constitution, and further, implementing the OGP strengthens our systems of governance for the common good of all Papua New Guineans,” said Mr Aitsi.
“For those of us who are fortunate to attend physically and be in the room, it is incumbent on us to engage as partners and participate in the OGP process. We need people of goodwill to speak up and suggest ways to commit to improving PNG’s governance through the election year and beyond,” he said.
The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from national and sub-national governments to promote open government, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.