OGP Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting High-Level Roundtable
February 6, 2025 | 12:00 PM
Grand Hyatt Manila
To the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Chief of Global Programs, Mr. Paul Maassen, members of the Philippine Cabinet, distinguished delegates, civil society leaders, and fellow champions and advocates of open government and good governance:
Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
Thank you for attending the OGP Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting 2025!
This ministerial roundtable is a space for us to share concrete commitments and strengthen our resolve to build a lasting legacy and a better future for our peoples and for our community of nations. Our participation in this high-level gathering is most impactful as we need your decisive, action-oriented, and steadfast leadership in upholding our pledges to our peoples.
We need this kind of strong leadership now, more than ever, as we navigate complex global and regional transitions: geopolitical shifts, evolving trade landscapes, economic uncertainties, rapid technological advancements, and escalating environmental challenges. While these transitions cast shadows of instability, they also shed light on the growing demand for open and accountable governance.
This is the driving force behind the Open Gov Challenge, to which our region—I am happy to note—has responded positively. For instance, 1Mongolia has amended its law to enable the development of an online platform that publishes political party financial data, providing public oversight and increasing citizens’ trust in the government.
2Armenia has established regulations for public officials’ acceptance of gifts, and developed a digital gift declaration that the citizens can access and monitor.
We are also proud that two of our local government units (LGUs) have responded to the challenge. Baguio City institutionalized a People’s Council to recognize and formalize Civil Society Organizations’ (CSOs) significant role in local decision-making processes.
And the Municipality of Larena in Siquijor has committed to establishing a Procurement Oversight Team (POT) through an Executive Order aligned with our New Government Procurement Act, aimed at improving efficiency and transparency in procurement processes.
These are just a few of the commitments that contribute to truly achieving, slowly but surely, good governance for our people. But we also know that we need more ambitious undertakings pledged through the Open Gov Challenge if we want to make governments work for all—not just for the powerful.
So today, as one OGP community, let us take this opportunity to assess our current priorities, identify enabling conditions for these commitments to deliver tangible results, and build genuine partnerships to ensure the success of our reforms.
As we present our interventions at this ministerial roundtable, let us honor their trust and ensure that the promises we make today translate into tangible actions that produce meaningful change in the lives of our constituents. Let us remember that our people are counting on us—WE MUST NOT LET THEM DOWN.
Thank you very much and we look forward to discussing our current ambitions and priorities, the enabling conditions to raise these ambitions, and building partnerships and collaborations.
Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
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