6th National Action Plan for open government
2024-2026
Introduction
The 6th National Action Plan for Open Government (6NAP) 2024-2026 is the result of a co-creation process coordinated by the Department of Public Administration and implemented by the Forum for Open Government (FGA), with the involvement of the Italian Community for Open Government (OGP IT). This six-month journey began in February 2024 and concluded in July 2024.
The creation and implementation of Italy's 5th National Action Plan 2022-2023 (5NAP) had already highlighted the importance of collaboration between public administrations (PAs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) within the Community, fostering transparent and equal cooperation. The new plan has drawn on various inputs starting from the evaluation conducted by the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM).
Co-creation Process
The co-creation process spanned six months, from February to July 2024, and was divided into three phases.
Preparatory Phase (February/April 2024)
During this phase, with the aim of ensuring continuity and strengthening the promotion of open government policies both nationally and locally, the Forum for Open Government developed an End of Term Report. This report identified priorities for the next NAP cycle:
Emphasis on regional significance and the importance of involving political actors (regional presidents and mayors) to advance open government policies.
Effective transparency in relationships with stakeholders, while also developing skills for the integrity of public personnel.
Legislative reform of the entire transparency framework and publication obligations.
Artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and the openness of public information assets.
The Open Government Task Force (TF OG) of the Department of Public Administration, coordinated by the National Contact Point (PoC), drafted a scenario document (Open Government Policy Note). This document identifies three thematic macro-areas as transversal fields for further exploration:
Rights to enable civic space
Skills for open administration
Technologies for inclusion
It also outlines the most promising intervention perspectives for each area for the 6NAP.
Engagement Activities (March/May 2024)
The co-creation process for the 6NAP began with a webinar on March 28th, aimed at all members of the Italian Community for Open Government and those interested in open government policies. The goal was to expand the OGP IT Community and align knowledge on the outcomes of the open policies implemented in the 2022-2023 biennium.
Engagement activities continued in May during the Open Gov Week 2024, with the organization of four webinars from May 27th to 30th. These webinars aimed to introduce and promote the activities of the OGP IT Community and further develop the outcomes of the ongoing co-creation discussion by engaging with external actors and innovative practices relevant to open government policies.
Co-creation Meetings and Drafting of the 6NAP (April/July 2024)
During the online co-creation meetings held on April 23rd and May 23rd and 24th, organized in group and plenary sessions, the OGP IT Community discussed the priorities of the three macro-areas proposed by the Task Force and adopted by the Forum for Open Government. This led to the development of four general objectives, eight associated commitments, and the expected main outcomes. The discussions revealed the willingness of organizations to take responsibility for implementing or collaborating on these commitments.
The drafting phase of the 6NAP commitments began on June 17th with a plenary briefing for the responsible organizations. Between June 17th and July 5th, the representatives of the responsible organizations collaborated online to describe the eight commitments and plan the activities, supported by the PoC and the OG Task Force. This work was primarily asynchronous but included periodic meetings to ensure alignment among all involved parties.
From July 5th to 19th, the 6NAP text was subject to an online public consultation on the ParteciPa platform. The aim was to gather interest from public administration and civil society organizations not yet involved, to contribute to the implementation of the commitments and provide suggestions to the responsible organizations regarding key success factors for effective execution of the planned activities.
The consultation resulted in 14 contributions and six new commitments from external organizations to the OGP IT Community, expressing their willingness to collaborate on the implementation of the 6NAP commitments.
Contents of the 6NAP
The Plan consists of 4 general objectives, from which 8 commitments are derived:
A. Promote the culture of integrity and transparency in public decision-making processes
Strengthening transparency in relationships between public decision-makers and stakeholders.
Spreading awareness of threats to the integrity of public decision-making processes.
B. Support the dissemination and innovation of open government policies at all levels of government
Enhancing the Participation Hub.
Defining and disseminating skills for open government policies.
Promoting inclusivity in access to technologies and the use of Artificial Intelligence.
C. Strengthen data transparency and openness to create public value and open the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) to citizens
Promoting technologies and data as common goods.
Promoting a transparency model centered on public value.
D. Raise awareness about gender and intergenerational inequalities in Italy
Permanent communication and awareness campaign organized by the OGP Italy Community.
Each general objective proposes commitments to be realized over two years with the collaboration of various public actors and organized civil society. The aim is to overall enhance the capacity to implement open government principles at national and local levels, in line with the vision characterizing the national open government strategy.