Volodymyr Groysman: Open Government is equivalent to its effectiveness, accountability and opportunity to develop the country

Openness of the Government, its readiness to conduct a dialogue with the public is equal to its efficiency, accountability and ability to avoid mistakes and to draw up an agenda for the development of the country, stated Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman. He opened the OpenGovWeek, which is being held within the framework of the same name international initiative.

According to the Prime Minister, Open Government Week is not a formal event, but rather an opportunity to understand each other and to continue shaping the agenda.

"One week can not be more open than the other. Openness equals to efficiency. We can effectively solve problems, avoid mistakes, and prevent the weakness of the country by joint efforts. The dialogue and openness are key issues  for the authorities", the Head of Government underscored.

He emphasized that efficiency also means accountability to the public. As an example, within the framework of the decentralization reform, the central government has transferred  enormous resources to the regions, the use of which should be transparent and understandable. "We transferred billions of hryvnias to the local authorities. Therefore, power should be controlled and accountable to its citizens, in this case  the openness allows to prevent an abuse of power, the Prime Minister added". - "The issues of involving the society, as well as public consultations with people are of utmost importantce"

The Head of Government emphasized this approach is applicable at the central level. He stressed that each government initiative is being brought up for discussion. "There is no plan or report of the Government that would not be discussed with the public. Together we will  be able to build a new and  successful Ukraine. If there is no consolidation between the central authority and the public  - the gap will only become deeper.  We are committed to moving on by strengthening decentralization and  increasing accountability and responsibility ", Volodymyr Groysman claimed.

Background

The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral  initiative – a platform for national reformers. The initiative was launched in 2011 during the UN General Assembly session with the assistance of governments and civic organizations of Brazil, the United States, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, the Republic of South Africa and Great Britain. At present, more than 70 countries have joined the Initiative.Ukraine joined the Initiative in 2011.

The goal of the initiative is to bring together governments, businesses, and international organizations in order to solve citizens problems . Participation in the OGP initiative envisages elaboration of medium-term action plans. Ukraine, as a part of the implementation of the said commitments, has already launched ProZorro online public procurement platform, an open data portal, an electronic declaration system, standards for transparency in the mining industry, etc.