Prime Minister of Georgia participated in the Global Summit of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) together with the world leaders. Members of the OGP Steering Committee and other leaders - including US President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, South Korean President Moon Jae-in as well as Estonian, Ukrainian, Moroccan and Ecuadorian leaders - addressed the participants.

Irakli Garibashvili delivered a keynote speech focusing on the main achievements of the country towards open governance and democracy in the last decade, thereby highlighting the unwavering commitment of Georgia towards the principles of partnership, as well as the recent success of the country on the path of democratic development through public service delivery and innovative platforms of public interaction, transparency of public performance, fight against corruption and establishment of open governance.

“OGP Summit is different this year from all the previous ones, as it is mainly held remotely, which reminds us of the global crisis and calls the OGP community for the acknowledgement of real challenges faced by democracies, unification of forces and inclusion of open governance topics in the priorities of the international agenda.

We are marking the 10th Anniversary of the OGP this year. It is a partnership created to protect the values of open governance. We are proud that Georgia was one of the first countries to join the OGP. Since than we carried out 4 Action Plans of OGP and reached the following noticeable results:

- Increased degree of transparency in public procurement;
- Facilitated innovations within the realm of public service delivery;
- Reformed Concept of civil service;
- Radical measures in fighting against corruption;
- Introduction of an innovative practice of state budget monitoring;
- Engagement of every wing of the authorities in the process of open governance.

Along with these success stories, we have pending obligations as well. Development of a new Action Plan for OGP Georgia is ahead of us. I am confident that various strategic directions will be reflected in this plan, along with current needs of our society”, - said the Head of Government.

He focused on key priorities in his keynote speech, which serve as a core foundation of open governance in every country.

“10 years after the creation of OGP, we believe that time has come to shift our attention from efficient achievement of results towards reaching a more transformational impact on the livelihood of our citizens. Open governance is not an easy task. Therefore, it is vital to join our forces and extend our scope of concentration, to make sure that it covers other sectors apart from open data, open budget and so on, which will have a direct impact on the life of our society. Chance in our perception of democracy is among them. Global pandemic has evidenced that issues that were related solely to transparency, accountability and fight against corruption, today mean saving lives and means of existence. This fight requires more resilient democracies to be built. Apart from highlighting our performance, it is equally important to stay united on this path and to consider what lies ahead, what may be done by governments in the new reality brought by time. Creation of much improved democracies depends on the coalition of member states under the umbrella of OGP”, - concluded the Prime Minister.

OGP Global Summit is held during December 15-17, 2021 and has a hybrid format. On the 10th anniversary of the partnership, OGP Summit is hosted by Seoul, capital of the Republic of South Korea. OGP Summit is aimed at stressing and prioritising the significance of an increased engagement of civil space and society, fight against corruption and support of inclusive digital innovations.

Various thematic meetings are scheduled within the scope of the OGP Summit on civil engagement, fight against corruption and digital innovations. Program envisages regional sessions and round table meetings. International initiative of the OGP unites 78 countries. Georgia hosted the 5th Global Summit in Tbilisi 2018 as a Chair Co