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'Open Government is Struggle' Twaweza Head remarks at the UN OGP Event

Archive 25 Sep 2014 hot | Announcements

Head of Twaweza, Rakesh Rajani, spoke on September 24th at the Third Anniversary Meeting of the Open Government Partnership, held at the United Nations in New York. 

At the meeting, support for the OGP was reaffirmed by the presence of 11 heads of state and government, over 30 ministers, and more than 300 civil society leaders from around the world. The event saw Bosnia and Herzegovina welcomed as the 65th country to join the OGP. 

Rakesh spoke of open government as a struggle, but as one that offers huge possibility:

There is nothing inevitable about the opening of government or the closing of civic space. It rests upon what we choose to do. The path to progress is fraught with setbacks and uncertainty. The OGP has its limits, but I know of no other platform that offers so much possibility for reimagining government. If we put our mind and heart to it, it can become so much more. The progress we make will keep up our spirits and allow us to reach into our better selves. But we do not keep going because of the certitude of success; we persevere because we choose to care and we understand that real change takes time. 

Rakesh's full remarks are available here.

US President Obama thanked Rakesh:

"Thank you Rakesh for your introduction. It is wonderful to see all of you here today. I still remember your eloquent words when we launched this effort three years ago, and I am very grateful for the role you've played, and NGOs have played, and all the leadership that represented here has played in making this a reality, which is making a real difference in the lives of so many countries that are participating."

Finally, a new OGP video was launched at the meeting:

 

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