The Open Government Partnership (OGP) has announced the selection of new Steering Committee members and co-Chairs to take over in October 2014 the reins of leadership within the multilateral initiative. When the current Steering Committee members step down on October 1, 2014, Sugeng Bahagijo (Indonesia), Cecilia Blondet (Peru), Alvin Mosioma (Kenya), Mukelani Dimba (South Africa) and Manish Bapna (USA) will take over the OGP Steering Committee. Croatia, Georgia and France are the new members that will join Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, UK, USA, Philippines, Tanzania and Brazil on the government side. The Government of South Africa and Civil Society Leader Alejandro Gonzalez is expected to join OGP’s Leadership Group in October.
The selection which went through a 3- round process, had a total of 37 names in the first round being shortlisted to 14 names in the second round and then to the final list of 5 names. To arrive at a final list, the Selection Committee took all information it had into account and first discussed for each candidate if he or she would add something to the overall mix of SC members.
Sugeng Bahagijo from Indonesia is the executive director of the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID), and a member of the Asia Democracy Network. Cecilia Blondet from Peru is the executive director of Proética, the Peruvian chapter of TI and former minister for the Advancement of Women and Human Development while Alvin Mosioma from Kenya is the founder and director of Tax Justice Network-Africa. Mukelani Dimba a South African is the Executive Director of the Open Democracy Advice Centre while Manish Bapna an American is the executive vice president and managing director of the World Resources Institute (WRI). For back up is Nathaniel Heller, an American, the co-founder and executive director of Global Integrity.
As the OGP Articles of Governance specify, this list has been endorsed by the current nine civil society Steering Committee members and shared with the full Steering Committee. The members start at the next OGP Steering Committee meeting at the end of September, 2014.
