OGP Georgia Governance

About the Forum

OGP Georgia Forum was established as a national coordination mechanism of OGP Georgia in 2013. Prior to 2019, the Forum had been functioning as a working group of an Anti-Corruption Interagency Coordination Council and was accountable to the latter. 3 Action Plans of OGP Georgia were developed by the Forum. For the first time ever, the Forum established a a permanent dialogue platform on open governance topics between the government agencies and civil society actors.

In 2019, the Administration of the Government of Georgia, acting as the agency in charge of OGP Georgia, made a decision on engaging high-level decision-makers in the OGP coordinating process in close cooperation with local and international organizations. To this effect, the OGP Georgia Inter-Agency Coordination Council was established, while the Forum was maintained as a permanent working group of the Council. Correspondingly, actors of the government agencies and NGOs from all Ministries and responsible agencies are represented in it.

Along with the Statute of the Council, Forum ToR was elaborated in detail and approved by the Government.

Key goals of the Forum are as follows:

  • Developing and submitting the draft OGP Action Plan to the Council
  • Supporting implementation of the Action Plan, monitoring and informing the Council
  • Preparing proposals, projects, initiatives, legislative changes and recommendations on open governance issues and submitting them to the Council
  • Identifying challenges and risks and supporting new initiatives.

Adoption of decisions by the Forum

OGP Georgia Secretariat set a goal to develop the Forum into a flexible mechanism based on the cooperation principle. Correspondingly, in contrast with the Council, the Forum adopts its decisions by a less formal procedure. According to the Forum ToR, the Forum sorts out the topics and by a joint agreement, presents important and priority issues for the consideration of the Council.


The procedure of joining the Forum


The decision of incorporating new NGOs into the Forum is made by the Forum member NGOs independently, without the involvement of the Forum and the OGP Georgia Secretariat.

Correspondingly, the criteria for admition of new NGOs into the Forum and the bases for termination of membership have been developed by NGOs involved in the process.

According to the procedure:

  • An aspirant NGO applies in a written form to the Coreporter representing NGOs in the Forum
  • NGOs enjoying the right to vote in the Forum adopt a decision on incorporating a new member into the Forum in the 2/3 of the full composition. The decision is made known to the OGP Georgia Secretariat
  • GOs participating in the Forum with the right to vote make a decision on termination of membership in the 2/3 of the full composition. The decision is made known to the OGP Georgia Secretariat


A new organization can become a member of the Council only after it has joined the Forum.

Criteria of Forum membership

A non-entrepreneur (non-commercial) legal body registered and acting in Georgia meeting the following criteria can join the Forum:

  • 1. Explicitly supports OGP values and principles by its activity

  • 2. Has work experience in terms of at least one OGP challenge (1. Improving public services, 2. Building integrity, 3. More effectively managing public resources, 4. Creating safer communities, and 5. Increasing corporate accountability)

  • 3. Has had a three years’ continuous experience by the moment of submitting a membership application

  • 4. No public officials and/or members of a political party are represented in the governing body of the organization

  • 5. The organization does not use hate speech

  • 6. Information on funding and activities of the organization is accessible.

Bases for termination of membership of a Forum/Council Member NGO can be:

  • Termination of activities of NGO
  • Announcement on termination of membership by a representative of the organization
  • Absence of a representative member of an organization from the majority of meetings (50%+1) conducted during a year without any explanation
  • Violation of the requirements of membership criteria
  • In case of termination of Forum membership, NGO is automatically deprived of Council membership.

Join the OGP forum

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