UK and US promote the Open Government Partnership
The UK and the US have called on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to make all of its core data freely available online.
In a joint letter to the Secretary General of the OECD, Foreign Secretary William Hague and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on the OECD to commit to the principles of the Open Government Partnership.
Both countries recognise the OECD as a uniquely valuable source of internationally comparable information. For over fifty years, its work has allowed governments to evaluate their own progress. Now, with citizens empowered by new technologies, they too will be able to use the OECD’s data to hold their governments to account. This is a golden opportunity for the Organisation to reinforce its position as the champion of better policies for better lives.
The UK was announced as the 2012 co-chair of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) at its inaugural meeting in New York on 20 September 2011. The Open Government Partnership is an innovative international initiative bringing developed and developing countries together to promote transparency and harness new technologies for open government to help fight corruption, engage citizens and save lives.