An Open Government workshop held at the recent OKFestival launched the Open Government Partnership Iniative in Finland.

Finland will join the Open Government Partnership Initiative in spring 2013. The Open Government Partnership (OGP) was started in New York in 2011 in relation to the meeting of the UN General Assembly. The goal of this global initiative is to develop a more transparent, effective and accountable government and to improve the dialogue between public administration and citizens. The initiative aims at concrete commitments from the participating countries to transparency, citizen participation, anti-corruption and use of new technologies.

To embrace the Open Government Partnership declaration a concrete national action plan is now being drafted in Finland. The first open government workshop in Finland was held at the Open Knowledge Festival organised by the Finnish Institute in September. This workshop also meant the starting point for drafting of the national OGP action plan. Anyone can participate in the drafting at http://www.suomijoukkoistaa.fi and http://www.otakantaa.fi discussion forums and at Avoin hallinto -Facebook group until December. Officially Finland will join in the OGP at the next annual meeting in March 2013 where the first national action plan is also presented.

UK was one of the founders of the Open Government Partnership and has now become lead co-chair of the OGP. For the duration of the chairmanship, the UK will highlight the opportunities for prosperity and growth that open government and transparency can bring. An OGP Peer Engagement meeting is held in London in December 2012 to guide new member states with drafting and implementing their national action plans. Programme director Jussi Nissilä from the Finnish Institute is going to participate in the event with Katju Holkeri, Financial Councellor of the Ministry of Finance in Finland and chair person of the Open Government project.

More information:

Open Government Partership Finland
http://www.opengovpartnership.org/countries/finland

Open Government -iniative of Finland's Ministry of Finance:
http://www.vm.fi/vm/fi/05_hankkeet/0238_ogp/index.jsp

Peer Engagement meeting:
http://www.opengovpartnership.org/guidance-countries-joining-ogp-after-april-2012