Mexico goes from OGP leader to OGP let down
The Mexican Core Group of CSOs have pulled out of the national OGP National Action Plan process following the discovery of illegal surveillance of a number of people affiliated with members of the group. Read their notification.
It’s big news, for example in the New York Times as well as Mexico
The OGP issued this statement:
“The Open Government Partnership has been closely following the recent developments regarding the national OGP platform in Mexico. The decision yesterday by Mexican civil society organizations to leave the national OGP platform is a statement that challenges everyone working on open government around the world. OGP represents a truly global network of reformers, and we stand ready to offer all our resources, energy and solidarity to Mexican actors to come together and find a way forward.
The government and civil society organizations of Mexico have played a crucial role in building an international partnership that has grown from 8 founding countries to 75 since 2011. Mexican actors have played a valuable role in pursuing domestic reform and generating awareness of open government regionally and internationally, including hosting the 2015 OGP Global Summit. Many countries have looked to the Mexican government and civil society reformers for inspiration and ideas on how to tackle the toughest challenges facing society through open government reform. At the heart of OGP is a domestic dialogue between government and civil society actors in each of our 75 countries. We sincerely hope that the Mexican government and civil society will be able to re-establish a working relationship in the future built on trust, transparency and accountability.”