MSF - Multi-Stakeholder Forum and open government national strategy

The objective is to set up a Multistakeholder Forum as a qualified actor to define the National Action Plans and the National Strategy for Open Government.
The commitment implies the constitution of a team of referents responsible for defining the activities to be carried out in order to achieve the constitution of the MSF.

The expected outcomes are
1. The approval of a National Regulation of the Multistakeholder Forum for Open Government, which establishes the ways of entry and participation, starting from the minimum standards provided by OGP;
2. The establishment of the first Multistakeholder Forum for Open Government;
3. The definition by the MSF of the first national strategy for open government.

Given the advances in the national context, but also the weaknesses highlighted by the IRM and the new OGP standards adopted in November 2021, the problem addressed is that of the absence of a forum for equal confrontation between government and citizens to implement shared choices, consistent with open government principles.

Through a more advanced application of the OGP's minimum standards and agreement on clear rules for:
● a fair and transparent membership selection process that ensures inclusiveness of all relevant stakeholders;
● the definition of accountability and reporting mechanisms;
● the identification of operating and decision-making procedures.
The FMS will be able to provide a platform, currently lacking, for peer-to-peer debate and the definition of national policies for open government.

Because it will create a more favorable environment for fair and equal confrontation between the government and civil society, increasing the possibility for civil society to participate in and influence public decisions.
As inclusive, it will help encourage the participation of underrepresented groups in public decision-making processes, such as women, youth, people with disabilities, and all minorities in general. It will enable the development of an effective national strategy for open government.

The MSF will be able to be a more structured and authoritative national reference actor than the current OG Forum for the definition of shared proposals for the implementation and monitoring of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
The MSF for OG will also be able to establish a dialogue with the Multistakeholder Forum for Sustainable Development for the exchange of best practices and lessons learned.

Establishment of a team of contact persons responsible for engagement, composed of at least two public administrations, with experience in managing national stakeholder forums, and two interested civil society organizations
Start date - End date
1st March 2022 - 15th March 2022

Reasoned mapping by interest/competencies of all actors in the field to verify the inclusion of all strategic stakeholders. With regard to gender equality and youth representation in the Forum, the team responsible for commitment 1.01 will collaborate with the teams of the action 4 in charge of making proposals in this domain
Start date - End date
15th March 2022 - 15th May 2022

Verification of alignment between the discussed/collected proposals and the new OGP standards and development of a draft proposal for advanced national rules consistent with the national context
Start date - End date
15th March 2022 - 15th May 2022

Consultation on the draft rules proposal involving all OGP Italy participants.
Start date - End date
15th May 2022 - 15th June 2022

Text revision based on the outcome of the consultation and final approval.
Start date - End date
15th June 2022 - 15th July 2022

Establishment of the Multi-stakeholder Forum
Within 31st July 2022

Start of the co-creation process of the national OG strategy by the Multistakeholder Forum
1st September 2022

Public consultation on the strategy’s contents
1st May 2023 - 30th May 2023

Strategy approval
30th June 2023 

• Presidency of the Council of Ministers - Public Administration Department (DFP)
• Ministry of Ecological Transition (MiTE)

coordinate the definition of the MSF Rules until its establishment.

With the creation of the MSF, it will assume responsibility for the commitment to the definition of the national strategy for open government.

Other actors involved in implementation - Public sector

• Conference of Regions - Liguria Region
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MFA)

contribute to the definition of the Regulation of the FMS.

Other actors involved in implementation - Civil society organizations (CSOs) and private sector

• The Good Lobby
• Orizzonti Politici

contribute to the definition of the Regulation of the MSF.

Public Administration Department, Sabina Bellotti – OGP Italy Point of Contact

Ernesto Belisario – OG Task Force, ogp@funzionepubblica.it