OGD Project Activities

The National Authority for Transparency and Access to Information (ANTAI) of the Government of Panama and the Agency for Electronic Government, Information and Knowledge Society (AGESIC) of the Government of Uruguay have posted an open government data (OGD) action plan on their respective websites. DESA/DPADM supported the development of these plans as part of the project on "Strengthening of Capacities of Developing Countries to Provide Access to Information for Sustainable Development through OGD". These plans - the first ever developed by Panama and the second by Uruguay - set the goals and implementation requirements for achieving the long term vision for the countries’ OGD initiatives. They also formalize the governments’ commitment in this domain as part of the national sustainable development strategy. Both plans address key dimensions of sustainable OGD ecosystems including the policy/legal framework, institutional structures, procedures, responsibilities, capacities, and civic demand for OGD.

1. OGD Action Plan - Panama
2. OGD Action Plan - Uruguay

The international workshop aims at promoting an exchange of information on the development of Open Government data (OGD) national strategies and action plans in support of access to information, transparency and accountability for sustainable development. Participants also share experiences and lessons learned during project implementation. While enhancing participants’ capacities on OGD action planning, this workshop guides them to reflect on how this type of planning can maximise the impact on sustainable development, particularly on the poorest and most vulnerable. Participants learn from innovative public administration approaches for SDG implementation being showcased during the United Nations Public Service Forum and award ceremony.

Government officials, representatives from civil society and private sector of eight countries in East Asia gathered in Bangkok, Thailand, from 3-6 October 2016 to exchange experiences on advancing open government data for sustainable development. The participants have also analysed and provided inputs to OGD action plans earlier drafted by the governments of Bangladesh and Nepal based on their experience of rolling out similar initiatives in other countries. They reflected on how to maximize the impact of OGD advancement strategies for implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) through increasing access to information for transparency, accountability and responsive public service delivery. The workshop was co-organized by DESA/DPADM and the Economic and Social Commission for Aisa and Pacific (ESCAP) under the project on “Strengthening of Capacities of Developing Countries to Provide Access to Information for Sustainable Development through Open Government Data”. The workshop participants have also attended the inaugural session of the Committee on Information and Communication Technology, Science, Technology and Innovation (CICTSTI) organized on 5-7 October 2016 by the UN ESCAP back to back of the OGD workshop. The CICTSTI sessions covered a wide range of policy issues on ICT and regional capacity building, which complemented discussions on OGD action planning for the countries in Asia-Pacific region.

Government officials, representatives from civil society and private sector of ten countries in Latina America gathered in Santiago, Chile from 26 to 28 September 2016 to exchange experiences on open government data (OGD) for sustainable development. The workshop aimed to enhance participants’ knowledge and skills on OGD national strategies in view of supporting greater access to information, transparency, accountability and responsive public service delivery.

Participants analyzed and provided inputs to the OGD action plans drafted by the Governments of Panama and Uruguay. They also reflected on how to maximize the impact of these strategies on the SDGs and the poorest and most vulnerable. The workshop was co-organized by DPADM/DESA and ECLAC under the project of “Strengthening of Capacities of Developing Countries to Provide Access to Information for Sustainable Development through Open Government Data”

DPADM in cooperation with the United Nations Project Office for Governance (UNPOG) organised a Study Tour on Open Government Data (OGD) in Seoul, Republic of Korea as part of the DA project on "Strengthening of Capacities of Developing Countries to Provide Access to Information for Sustainable Development through Open Government Data (OGD)" from 9 to 12 August 2016. Eight government and civil society representatives from Bangladesh (Access to information Program (a2i)) and Nepal (National Information Commission (NIC)) were hosted by the Ministry of Interior (MOI) and National Information Society (NAI) of Republic of Korea. 

The meetings provided members of the Bangladeshi and Nepali delegations with an opportunity to learn from their peers in public service on a range of OGD-related topics, and enhance their capacity to develop open government data strategy, improve internal use/reuse of data and automate publication processes of data. 

Participants shared positive feedback and valued the opportunity provided for interactive discussions and networking. The findings and inputs from the Study Tour will inform the drafting of the OGD national action plans for Bangladesh and Nepal before October 2016.

The Study Tour on Open Government Data (OGD) is hosted by the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications of the United States. It is a follow-up activity to the OGD Capacity Development Workshop and the National Substantive Training held in Uruguay respectively in May and September 2015. The event is aimed at enhancing OGD knowledge and skills of officials from the Agencia para el Desarrollo de Gobierno de Gestión Electrónica y la Sociedad de la Información y del Conocimiento (AGESIC) of Uruguay.

DPADM assisted officials from the National Authorities of Access to Information and Government Innovation of Panama to enhance knowledge and skills on open government data (OGD) for greater transparency, accountability and responsive public service delivery. The study tour was hosted by Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies of Colombia. The UNDP Country Office in Bogota shared the challenges and opportunities of enhancing data collection and quality for monitoring SDG implementation.

To download study tour report click here: English version; Spanish version

The National Substantive Training (NST) workshop on Open Government Data for Sustainable Development was organized by the Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) in partnership with Access to Information Programme of the Prime Minister’s office of the Government of Bangladesh (a2i). DPADM/UN DESA also engaged the UNDP country office in Bangladesh.

The National Substantive Training was organized by the Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) in partnership with the National Information Commission of Nepal (NIC) of the government of Nepal. More than 60 representatives of public sector, civil society and academia participated in the event and contributed to development of draft national Action Plan on advancement of OGD initiatives in Nepal.

The fourth national workshop on Open Government Data Sensitization, Gap Assessment and Strategic Planning held from 3-5 November 2015 in Kathmandu, Nepal was orgnized by DPADM partnering with the National Information Commission.

For more information on this workshop, click here.

This training is organized by DESA/DPADM in partnership with the Autoridad Nacional de Transparencia y Acceso a la Información (ANTAI) and the Autoridad Nacional para la Innovación (AIG) of the government of Panama. DESA/DPADM is also engaging the Economic and Social Commission for Latin America (ECLAC) as well as the UNDP country office in Panama. The training enhances awareness and knowledge on OGD-related topics among middle-level public servants, statisticians, CIOs, ICT personnel, middle-level public servants, statisticians, CIOs, ICT personnel, CSO and private sector representatives, journalists and media representatives. As a result, it will contribute to the development of an open data strategy and to strengthen existing OGD ecosystem and open data community in Panama.

For more information on this workshop, click here.

This training is organized by DESA/DPADM in partnership with the Agencia para el Desarrollo del Gobierno de Gestión Electrónica y la Sociedad de la Información y del Conocimiento (AGESIC) of the Government of Uruguay. The training will contribute to development of an open data strategy and establishment of open data community in Uruguay. An expected outcome of this training is the preparation of a draft inventory of public datasets for publishing in open and reusable formats. The participants will also draft an outline of the Second National Action Plan on Advancing OGD initiatives in Uruguay.

For more information on this workshop, click here.

The third national workshop on Open Government Data Sensitization, Gap Assessment and Strategic Planning held from 23 to 25 August 2015 in Dhaka was organized by DPADM partnering with the Access to Information Programme of the Prime Minister’s office of the Government of Bangladesh.

For more information on this workshop, click here.

The second national workshop on Open Government Data Sensitization, Gap Assessment and Strategic Planning held from 28 to 30 June 2015 in Panama City was orgnized by DPADM partnering with the Autoridad Nacional de Transparencia y Asseso a la Información (ANTAI), in collaboration with the Autoridad Nacional para la Innovacion Gubernamental (AIG) of the Government of Panama.

For more information on this workshop, click here.

The first national capacity development sensitization workshop on open data delivered within this project was held in Montevideo, Uruguay, between 12-14 May. The workshop was organized by DPADM partnering with the Agencia para el Desarrollo del Gobierno de Gestión Electrónica y la Sociedad de la Información y del Conocimiento (AGESIC) of the Government of Uruguay.

For more information on this workshop, click here.

The report of the workshop "Next Stage in Open Government Data: Using Data for Transparency, Accountability and Collaboration”, held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 10 to 12 October 2012 is now available in UNPAN.

To view the report and other documents related to the workshop, please click here.

The report of the Workshop on Future Government: A Global Perspective in Connection to OGD and Citizen Engagement is already available. The meeting was held on 16-17 May 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland. 

To read the document, please click here

Girish Chhugani and Andrew Nicklin, from the Information Technology and Telecommunications office of the City of New York, shared their experiences with the NYC Open Data during a seminar held in DPADM's office in New York.

To read more about the event, please click  here.