OGP OPENNESS IN NATURAL RESOURCES WORKING GROUP
DRAFT GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE
Introduction
The Open Government Partnership (‘OGP’) Openness in Natural Resources Working Group is
established in recognition that good governance in the natural resources sector is essential for social
welfare and sustainable development. By sharing lessons learned and good practices, this working group
hopes to leverage the OGP platform to advance the collective understanding of how greater openness
and participation in decision-making can improve the management of natural resources, ensure
appropriate allocation of the costs and benefits of environmental and social impacts and consideration
of benefit sharing.
Since the Working Group is in the early stages of its organization, the Working Group has determined to
create an interim governance structure, which may be reformed at a later date and is currently best
suited to address the goals and functions of the Working Groups Action Plan.
The diagram below provides an outline of the governance structure that will be adopted within the
Working Group.
GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE OF OGP Openness in Natural Resources Working Group
Steering Committee
Government of Indonesia, Natural
Resource Governance Institute,
World Resources Institute (a second
government co-anchor will be
determined)
Working Group
Membership
Governments, CSO's, Private
Sector Institutions
Specialized focus groups/
Task Forces
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OGP Openness in Natural Resources Working Group
Definitions
This working group adopts the following definition of natural resources.
“Natural resources are natural occurring assets that provide use benefits through the provision of raw
materials and energy used in economic activity (or that may provide such benefits one day) and that are
subject primarily to quantitative depletion through human use. They are subdivided into four categories:
mineral and energy resources, soil resources, water resources and biological resources.”1 Natural
resources shall therefore include, but are not limited to, forests, water, land, air, wildlife, biodiversity,
minerals and fossil fuels.
Roles and Responsibilities
Co-anchors:
The Working Group will be anchored and led by the
a) Government of Indonesia - President's Delivery Unit for Monitoring and Oversight Republic of
Indonesia (UKP4)
b) Natural Resource Governance Institute
c) World Resources Institute
d) Government Co-Anchor (To be decided)
The Co-anchors will facilitate the main components of the activities undertaken by the Working Group.
Subject to demand and to the breadth of membership, it will be responsible for appointing focus groups
that deal with specialized topics under the natural resources and extractives sector. Once these focus
groups are established, at least one co-anchor will be assigned to provide assistance to the respective
focus group, which may include leadership, by interested governments, civil society, international
organizations and private sector institutions. The co-anchors’ meeting agenda and follow-up minutes
will be made available to members of the working group and the public.
OGP Support:
The OGP support unit will support the Working Group by providing support for fundraising, maintaining
the WG’s webpage and by compiling and updating a listserv of the WG’s membership and other
interested parties. Furthermore, the OGP Support Unit shall act as a conduit between the working group
and OGP countries thereby providing outreach support to ensure that countries are aware of the work
being done by the working group.
Specialized Focus Groups\ Task Forces:
Appointed by the co-anchors, these groups will be created to deal with specific issues under the priority
topics, which relate to commitments made in the natural resources and extractives sector. By way of
example, the co-anchors may appoint a water governance openness task force, comprising of experts
1
Adapted from OECD Glossary of Statistical Terms
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OGP Openness in Natural Resources Working Group
from within the field and member countries who have taken extraordinary efforts to make
commitments in this area. These groups may take specific actions to assist in the implementation of
specific commitments. Each task force will require a minimum of three members, where at least one of
the members shall be a Government. The objectives of the task force groups will be articulated by
members of the working group and shall be demand driven.
Working Group Membership:
Working Group membership will be open to all interested governments and national and international
civil society organizations. In addition, international organizations and private institutions interested in
collaborating with the Working Group may join working group discussion and support its’ efforts.
Selected members of the working group will be appointed to specific task forces by the co-anchors
dependent on their expertise in a given subject relevant to the task force. Additionally, if members are
interested in developing a proposal/ proposals in collaboration with efforts from the OGP Openness in
Natural Resources Working Group and its partners to enhance change or advance the goals of the
working group; they will be required to submit relevant documentation for approval to the co-anchors
and related task force. The OGP Support Unit will assist in creation of an open call for interested
members to the re-launched Working Group and assist in the creation of a list serve to facilitate
communication.
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OGP Openness in Natural Resources Working Group
Annex 1: Governance Structures for other OGP Working Groups:
For additional information, find below summaries of the governance structures enacted by other OGP
Working Groups.
OGP Open Data Working Group
The OGP Open Data Working Group supports OGP governments in implementing their open data
commitments by identifying technical assistance and partnership opportunities on open data and
increasing awareness of open government data issues. It aims to create a forum for peer-to-peer sharing
and learning on open data policies and initiatives among members. To facilitate this process the working
group offers its participants access to experiences, best practices, tools and technical expertise on open
data issues.2
The Open Data Working Group is co-anchored by the Government of Canada and the Global Open Data
Initiative. The Steering Committee for the working group is structured such that each of the following
regions or organizations, 1) North America, 2) South America, 3) Western Europe, 4) Eastern Europe, 5)
Africa, 6) Asia, 7) Oceania, 8) Multilateral/International and 9) the OGP has a Government and civil
society representative to ensure that the views of both parties are well reflected in the decisions made.
For more information on the OGP Open Data WG,
http://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/attachments/ODWG%20Draft%20Workplan.pdf
OGP Access to Information Working Group
The OGP Access to Information Working Group, through the engagement of governments and civil
society organizations, acts as a resource that helps governments in designing and implementing
effective and ambitious commitments regarding access to information. It will also support the
participation of key stakeholders by engaging ATI agencies, networks and civil societies in the OGP ATI
dialogue.3
The working group is composed by Mexico (Federal Institute for Access to Information and Data
Protection), the Carter Center, Brazil (Office of the Comptroller General), the Alianza Regional por la
Libre Expresión e Información, Indonesia (Central Information Commission) and the Centre for Freedom
of Information. Additionally, there is associated with the Working Group, a list of 125 interested
persons. The governance structure for the Working Group includes a steering committee that comprises
of the anchor organizations. Currently, decision-making is diffused through the steering group
membership given that a formal governance structure is yet to be proposed.
For more information on the OGP Access to Information WG,
http://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/attachments/ATIWG%20Draft%20Workplan.pdf
2 http://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/attachments/ODWG%20Draft%20Workplan.pdf
3
http://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/attachments/ATIWG%20Draft%20Workplan.pdf
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OGP Openness in Natural Resources Working Group
OGP Legislative Working Group
The OGP Legislative Working Group (LOWG) aims to deepen the exchange of knowledge across
governments, parliaments, civil society and international institutions on the opportunities and
challenges associated with opening the legislative process.4
The OGP Legislative Working Group is co-anchored by the National Democratic Institute and the
Bicameral Commission for Transparency of the National Congress of Chile. It aims to appoint a
coordinating committee, similar to the structure adopted by the Open Data WG. “This committee will
consist of LOWG members who have committed to support specific elements of the work plan. It will
include representatives from the legislative and executive branches, civil society organizations, and
multilateral institutions, as well as additional experts. Membership in the coordinating committee would
be based on the willingness of the coordinating committee members to contribute, in terms of
resources or in kind, to the working group.”5 The coordinating committee is temporarily not being
implemented as the working group is still in the preliminary stages of its development and there are
currently only a few commitments being established in legislative transparency. The Working Group is
currently in the midst of promoting its activities by launching a Global Legislative Openness Week and
holding a survey on Legislative Openness to encourage countries to make commitments in this area.
For more information about the OGP Legislative Working Group,
http://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/attachments/LOWG%202014%20Workplan.pdf
4
5
http://www.opengovpartnership.org/get-involved/london-summit-2013/agenda/session/legislative-openness-working-group
http://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/attachments/LOWG%202014%20Workplan.pdf
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OGP Openness in Natural Resources Working Group