26 December Anti-corruption Interagency Coordination Council presented self-assessment report of the 2012-2013 action plan of the Open Governance Partnership (OGP). 

OGP is US President Barak Obama’s initiative and it provides for introduction of new standards of openness, transparency and citizen involved by using modern technologies.  Georgia joined Obama’s initiative in 2011 and took obligations.  Program implementation process is being monitored by a forum of NGOs to which the Council presented the self-assessment report. 

In 2012-2013 Georgia took responsibility to implement several obligations and as result joined four challenges announced by the OGP. 

First challenge is improvement of public services, in framework of which were to be opened 16 Public Service Halls and Just Café and Just Drive services were to be introduced.  According to the Anti-Corruption Intergancy Coordination Council Secretary Rusudan Mikhelidze, 12 Public Service Halls were opened and construction of the thirteenth, Zugdidi Public Service Hall will be completed soon.  Just Café and Just Drive services are in process of implementation.  Due to that the given obligation has been put in a category “mostly implemented.” 

In framework of the same challenge all municipalities were to be included in the electronic governance system and public centers were to be constructed.  The given obligation has also been put in the “mostly implemented” category, as inclusion in electronic system is completing in six municipalities and 12 Public Centers have been constructed. 

According to the action plan a citizen portal – my.gov.ge through which citizens are able to contact with state bodies already included in the electronic system.  The given obligation has been put in the “fully implemented” category. 

Another obligation was related to improvement of services in healthcare sphere; from 150 planned establishments only 51 medical establishments have been constructed.  It was planned to create unified information system in healthcare sphere; for the moment 23 new modules have been integrated into the system so the given obligation has been fulfilled partially. 

Second obligation that Georgia joined was public involvement in governance processes.  Country took obligation to create portals – data.gov.ge and ichange.ge and to introduce regulations for proactive publication of information.  The given obligations have been fulfilled partially as government failed to create ichange.ge portal. The given resource is to allow citizens to directly communicate with government.  

Another obligation related to integrating system of commenting with legislative news and connection of decisions with adequate legislative act has also been implemented partially.  Government introduced only the commenting system.   

Fully has been implemented the obligation for extending the jury system.  Such trials are being held now in Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi too. 

Obligations for insuring transparency of funding of political parties have also been fulfilled completely.  Their reports are published at the Audit Service website every month. 

Obligation for creating forum of non-governmental organizations and organizing meetings has been fulfilled partially.  As Giorgi Kldiashvili, Director of the Forum participant Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) said that creation of the Forum was an obligation that no other country has taken.  Forum gathered and worked, although it did not have the form of monitoring and meetings were being held in a round-table format. 

Third obligation taken by Georgia was efficiency of state funds spending.  Obligation for perfecting state procurement electronic system has been fulfilled, although balancing price and quality still remains problem.  As representatives of the Forum member NGOs state an effective mechanism has not been created and quite often state bodies procure low quality products just because of low price.  The given obligation has been put in the “mostly implemented” category. 

Obligation for creating system of electronic declarations was in the same category.  List of those who submit property declarations have been increased.  According to Rusudan Mikhelidze, certain measures have been taken for monitoring declarations, although the given obligation has not been fulfilled completely and submitted information is not double-checked. 

The last, fourth obligation was creating secure environment.  In framework of the given obligation it was planned to integrate criminal code analytical module and an electronic crime map was to be created.  Project – Secure Environment, providing for simplified communication with Prosecutor is in process of implementation. 

Part of obligations which were not fulfilled last year will be included in the next year action plan.  After the self-assessment report project will be completed the Secretariat will publicize it and it will be posted on OGP and Ministry of Justice websites. 

Anti-Corruption Interagency Coordination Council Secretariat is already starting work at action plan for 2014-2015.  For the cause state bodies have been obliged to submit liability to implement one ambitious project.  Action plan must be approved by 30 April 2014.

See the link