On July 17th, the Bureau of the Parliament of Georgia adopted the Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan.
Davit Usupashvili highlighted the involvement of the Parliament of Georgia in Open Government Partnership (OGP) and the significance of the Open Parliament. “I am reminding you that this is the program that is implemented throughout the world and the Government of Georgia is actively involved in it. Approximately one month and a half ago, there was a huge conference in Georgia on the issues of OGP. Parliament of Georgia is involved in this process. Regarding the Parliamentary Openness, we are among the leader Parliament’s throughout the world together with the Parliament of Chile. There is a conference planned in Georgia on the Parliamentary Openness in September that will be followed with the Forum in Mexico. Furthermore, the Inter-Factional Group elaborated very precise Action Plan that is already disseminated. There were a few consultations with the representatives of the Civil Sector and the International Organizations. The plan is very ambitious but at the same time very important and it is in accordance of the time-frame of modernization of Georgia in conformity with the European Standards. Parliament of Georgia should follow this time-frame. We are talking about the very important initiatives that mean not only transparency of the activities of the Parliament but also increase the knowledge of the wider society,” – said Davit Usupashvili.
The Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan was elaborated within the scopes of the project – “Supporting Parliament of Georgia Involvement in Open Government Partnership”. The project is implemented by the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) in partnership with the Parliament of Georgia within the joint project of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) “Strengthening the System of Parliamentary Democracy in Georgia”.
The Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan was elaborated with the active involvement and intensive work of the Inter-Factional Group and the Open Parliament Georgia Working Group.
The members of the Inter-Factional Group are MPs: Tinatin Khidasheli (who was later replaced by MP Tamar Kordzaia), Guguli Maghradze, Malkhaz Vakhtangashvili, Giorgi Kakhiani, Giga Bukia, Nino Goguadze, Khatuna Gogorishvili, Vakhtangi Lemojava, Davit Chavchanidze, Gocha Enukidze and Kakhaber Okriashvili.
The following International and Non-Governmental Organizations participated in the Open Parliament Georgia Working Group: European Union (EU), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), USAID, Transparency International Georgia, Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, NDI, Open Society Georgia Foundation, Civil Society Institute, GIZ, Eastern Partnership Civil Society Platform, CiDA, JumpStart Georgia, Council of Europe and Economic Policy Research Center.
With the approval of the Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan Georgia is linked with the small group of the OGP member countries which have already elaborated the action plans on Parliamentary Openness.
Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to make government more open, effective and accountable, leading to more efficient use of public resources, innovation and inclusive growth.
The Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan consists of 18 commitments and will be implemented for the years of 2015-2016. The aim of the Action Plan is to increase the public involvement in parliamentary activities, strengthen the access to information and the accountability of the Parliament of Georgia. The Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan also includes the commitment on creating the Permanent Parliamentary Council on Openness and Transparency based on the principles of the Inter-Factional Group. The Inter-Factional Group will be assisted with the Consultation Council that will be comprised with the representatives of the International and Non-Governmental Organizations. One of the main functions of the Parliamentary Council will be the monitoring of the implementation of the commitments of the Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan.
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