The Open Government Partnership (OGP) has announced the appointment of Maureen Kariuki as its Regional Civil Society Coordinator for Africa and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Ms Kariuki’s appointment was announced on November 25, 2014 by OGP’s Director of Civil Society Engagement, Mr. Paul Maassen, who said her engagement took effect from November 15, 2014.
Prior to joining the OGP, Ms Kariuki, who is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, had been working with the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) Coalition where she was engaged as Regional Coordinator for sub Saharan Africa. She had also previously worked with the Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) where she served as Programme Coordinator (Outreach), working worked on the OGP with Gladwell Otieno, who served on the first OGP Steering Committee.
Maureen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law; a Post Graduate Diploma in Law and a Master’s Degree in International Relations. She has worked on the promotion of good governance in Africa since 2009.
As regional coordinator for these regions, she will be supporting civil society organizations in engaging more meaningfully and effectively with the OGP and pushing for the delivery of open government reforms in their countries.
In addition, her tasks include:
- Making sure that civil society in OGP member countries is well-informed and better equipped to participate in the national OGP process by providing information, sharing experiences, making connections and advising on strategy;
- Building and cultivating a dynamic community of civil society partners in the region, and ensuring that this community is interacting with peers in other regions;
- Leading on outreach to civil society in non-member eligible and near-eligible countries to inform them about OGP basics and/or supporting them in achieving membership;
- Proactively sharing key national and regional OGP developments and insights with the OGP Support Unit and Steering Committee;
- Contributing to the team’s global activities to support the development and sharing of civil society tools, resources and experiences across countries;
- Contributing to or leading on OGP civil society events in the region, as well as participating in civil society outreach and learning activities at third-party events;
- Maintaining good working relations with key regional coalitions and networks, as well as international actors in the region such as funders, multi-laterals, to coordinate on OGP civil society support efforts.
