Scotland to sign up to international open government pilot

Scotland is to join an international pilot to encourage government to be more open and transparent, Holyrood understands.

Fourteen “subnational” governments and regional assemblies around the world are to take part in the International Subnational Government Programme, which will focus on what devolved administrations can do to facilitate transparency.

The pilot is run by the Open Government Partnership, a platform with 69 nation members including the UK, and will require governments to work with charities and wider civil society to drive forward open government reform.

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Scotland’s bid to take part will be submitted to the international Open Government Partnership in June 2016.

The Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) has been asked to lead the response from civil society in Scotland.

Deputy chief executive Lucy McTernan said: “This is an exciting development which will really put Scotland’s commitment to human rights, open democracy and engaging with its citizens under the spotlight not just here in Scotland but internationally.

“In the voluntary sector, much of what we do succeeds or fails depending on how open and transparent government is with its citizens.

“We’re looking forward to working jointly with the Scottish Government and MSPs to make sure that being open and engaging with people in Scotland really is a priority, and to produce firm commitments on how Scotland can become one of the world’s pioneers for creating an upfront and engaging approach to government that works better for people.”

The SCVO’s policy manager Ruchir Shah said: “Scotland can now be a global pioneers for the kind of government our citizens have always wanted.”

Although the Scottish Government cannot formally respond to the invitation ahead of the election, it is understood Nicola Sturgeon is keen.

In February at SCVO’s The Gathering event she said an open government civil partnership action plan would be published in the summer.

“The SCVO were obvious partners in this work, which is one of the ways we’re seeking to bring government closer to people across Scotland,” Sturgeon told The Gathering.