Help create the 5th U.S. National Action Plan for Open Government

The U.S. Government is co-creating the fifth National Action Plan for Open Government (NAP 5) with civil society and the public. NAP 5 will include public commitments to advance transparency, accountability, and public participation across government.

The plan for co-creation described here is meant to establish an inclusive process for engaging with all stakeholders across civil society, government agencies, and the broader American public to develop a new National Action Plan that furthers the principles of open government in an ambitious yet practical way.

The co-creation process will span from May 2022 to December 2022. Once published, the implementation period for this action plan will align with a two year calendar cycle shared by other Open Government Partnership members which will conclude on December 31st, 2024.

Timeline and Phases of Co-Creation

The co-creation process will be divided into five separate phases beginning with a broad effort to capture ideas and problem statements, then refining the input into thematic areas, and ultimately developing draft and final commitments. These phases are outlined in the schedule below. Additional details and resources will be provided here at the beginning of each phase.

May - September 2022

  • Outreach: The initial outreach and idea generation phase will involve proactive efforts to identify and include civil society organizations and an inclusive and diverse community of voices. This will also include research to capture existing compilations of recommendations and prior recommendations which remain relevant. This will be the first opportunity to begin to provide ideas and problem statements that can help form the basis of commitments in the new plan. Two weeks after the co-creation plan is published, an online form will be made available here to solicit ideas. This will be discussed in more detail during the May 19th public meeting and also updated on the Outreach page.
  • Shaping: The shaping phase will help organize the initial input into more logical structures with clear problem statements, proposed solutions, and overarching themes.

September - December 2022

  • Drafting: The drafting phase will involve thematic workshops that bring together stakeholders focused on specific topic areas to begin drafting commitments.
  • Reviewing: The reviewing phase will include consultative sessions with opportunities for feedback and revisions on the first draft of commitments.
  • Finalization: The final phase will support the final comments and clearance process necessary to publish the plan and communications to announce the plan.

Note: The months denoted in this timeline were changed in September to reflect an updated schedule.

Considerations for Selecting Commitments

Solving a Problem

Does the commitment solve a problem that is clearly defined and has widespread impact on the American public? Will it actually help to open up government (transparency, accountability or public participation)?

Demand

Does the commitment respond to vocal demand? Did we receive a substantial number of comments or feedback around this theme? Are partners in civil society, the private sector, or academia asking for this commitment? Has the idea been discussed in the media, online publications, or social media? Is there public interest research supporting the commitment?

Feasibility

Is the commitment realistic? Can we find a lead department in government, or a lead partner in civil society, private sector, or in a subnational government, that can take the lead? Do we have the resources to do it? Are there any legal, privacy, or security concerns that would prevent us from doing it?

Alignment

Is the commitment consistent with current priorities and principles? Commitments do not necessarily need to relate to existing initiatives, but they will be more feasible if they are in alignment and not in opposition to current national priorities.

Openness

Does the commitment create a more open government or use the principles of open government to solve a problem? Openness refers to principles of transparency, accountability, participation, and collaboration.

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