House of Representatives Reiterates its Commitment to the Values and Principles of the Open Government Partnership Initiative OGP
The Open Government Partnership Initiative (OGP) celebrated, for the fourth year, the Open Government Week on May 16-20 to spread the principles of "open government" and appreciate the initiatives of local governments, bodies, and civil society associations involved in the initiative to promote democracy and transparency.
On this occasion, the House of Representatives recalls the importance of its engagement in the OGP Initiative since October 2019, which it acquired based on the clear commitments grounded on its constitutional and institutional status and the competences and functions entrusted to it by the Kingdom's constitution.
On the same occasion, the House shed light on the outcome of the implementation of its commitments for the 2020-2021 period, despite the coincidence of this period with the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications on the organization of activities and events that were previously scheduled. Thus, owing to the first commitment to the implementation of constitutional provisions on participatory and citizen democracy, the House ensured the formation of a petitions committee composed of members of the Majority and the Opposition and organized two meetings with more than 60 civil society bodies on participatory democracy.
Concerning the involvement of citizens in legislation, the House remains keen to publish the government and parliamentary bills undergoing the legislative process on its website, with a view to enriching and commenting on them. In the same context, the House formed a communication cell in charge of reacting to citizens' demands for information and data in implementation of the law on the right to access information. Besides, the House ensures the regular publishing of its deliberations at the plenary stings and the reports of the standing committees to keep the public informed of its work and provide parliamentary information.
On another note, the House has enhanced its openness to children and youth. In this respect, it produced brochures and leaflets (11) that serve as an introduction to the House, its competences, functions, components, and bodies. The House also redesigned its website, including audiovisual content that introduces parliamentary action in various its aspects, the institution, and its history.
Since the evaluation of public policies is one of the novel constitutional competences entrusted to the House, the latter has been keen to engage many parties in the past or current evaluations through hearing sessions with the actors and beneficiaries of each public policy that is the subject of evaluation. On this matter, civil society bodies are key partners at the central and territorial levels in the evaluation process. However, the objective remains to determine the quality of public services and the impact of public spending on society. In this regard, the House remains open, in several ways, to the enrichment of various partners, including the request for written notes and observations from those concerned.
On the other hand, the House forged several partnerships with public universities and the scientific research community intending to facilitate the mutual benefit from the expertise to improve democratic practice and place parliamentary work at the center of university research and the interest of researchers and students.
While the House initiated consultations with civil society bodies, most of its commitments under the OGP Initiative for the 2022-2023 period focus mainly on partnership with civil society and social actors to establish a democratic culture, implement the concept of a proximity parliament, and openness to citizens, strengthen the digital parliament, involve citizens in parliamentary work (controlling government action, legislation and evaluation of public policies) and disseminate the values of democracy, especially among children and youth.
The House of Representatives reaffirms its commitment to the values of the OGP Initiative out of the conviction of its democratic impacts. It also stresses its determination to strengthen openness, communication, and participation, within the framework of the Constitution of the Kingdom, which gives the parliament a prominent position among the constitutional institutions.