The Open Government Partnership – Third Open Government National Action Plan for the United States. October 27, 2015

“Open government has long been a cornerstone of democracy in the United States. Principles of transparency and an accountable, responsive government are embedded in Federal law and the U.S. Constitution, and the United States was one of the first countries in the world to adopt an access to information law — the 1966 Freedom of Information Act. Building on this longstanding tradition, President Obama early in his Administration launched the Open Government Initiative that has catalyzed significant steps to open up the Federal government, make government more efficient, and provide citizens with unprecedented access to government information. The United States reached another important open government milestone in 2014 when President Obama signed legislation passed unanimously by the U.S. Congress, requiring Federal agencies to publish their spending data according to clear standards that will help improve the quality of government information, help inform government decisions, and make government work more efficiently for the American people. As a founding member of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), the United States has worked both domestically and internationally to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and transform the way the Federal government serves and engages with the American people. The Obama Administration published the first U.S. Open Government National Action Plan (NAP) in 2011, with 26 commitments that have increased public integrity, enhanced public access to information, improved management of public resources, and given the public a more active voice in the U.S. Government’s policy making process. In 2013, the Administration released the second U.S. Open Government National Action Plan, announcing 23 new or expanded open government commitments. In 2014, the Administration added three additional commitments to the second NAP and further expanded one existing commitment, bringing the total for that plan to 26. The Administration is now issuing the third U.S. Open Government National Action Plan, which includes a wide range of actions the Administration will take over coming months to
strengthen, deepen, and expand upon U.S. efforts to date . In putting together the third NAP, the United States engaged in unprecedented consultations inside and outside of government, including with a broad range of U.S. departments and agencies and sub national governments as well as the general public, civil society groups, foundations, academia, and the private sector. Consultations on the third NAP began with a collaborative workshop with government agencies and civil society organizations and included small and large – scale meetings to discuss and refine the commitments in this document. The Administration also sought input via the White House’s Open Government blog and other interactive online platforms. Civil society has provided valuable feedback throughout the implementation of both the first and second NAPs through regular progress reports and a model action plan that informed many of the commitments in this third NAP…”