Georgian Foreign Minister reaffirms open government principles in meeting with Open Government Partnership Executive Director

Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Tuesday discussed questions of open government in a meeting with Sanjay Pradhan, the Executive Director of the Open Government Partnership, at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Darchiashvili reaffirmed to Pradan his Government’s “unwavering support” to the principles and noted a gradual resumption of implementing them after pandemic-induced delays, the Government Administration said.

Development of a new Open Government Action Plan - coordinated by the Georgian Government’s Administration - is in an “active phase,” the Foreign Minister told Pradhan, while also expressing his gratitude for the support provided by the OGP International Secretariat in this process.

With the involvement of state agencies and  civil society organisations, initiatives for the Plan are being discussed and will be followed by the first meeting of the High-Level Interagency Coordination Council, Darchiashvili explained.

The OGP Executive Director thanked the top Georgian diplomat for the country's contribution to the OGP and noted Georgia was one of the leading members of the Open Government Partnership Steering Committee.  Pradhan said “sharing the experience” gained by Georgia in the framework of the partnership was “especially important” for future member states, both globally and across the Black Sea region.

The Open Government Partnership was established in 2011 at the initiative of the Presidents of the United States and Brazil and aims to increase the transparency, accountability and efficiency of governments.

Georgia was one of the first countries to join the OGP in 2012, with the organisation currently bringing together representatives from governments, local authorities and civil society in over 80 countries from around the world.