Scotland to lead the way in making governments more open & work better for people

SCVO media release 13 April 2016 The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) will lead the civil society response in a pilot programme which has selected Scotland as one of 14 pioneers across the world to make governments more open and transparent. Led by the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a powerful project set up by 69 of the world's leading nations to make governments more responsive to their citizens, the pilot programme will require governments to work with charities and wider civil society to drive forward open government reform. Lucy McTernan, Deputy Chief Executive, SCVO 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.” ENDS Notes to editors:

1. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is the membership organisation for Scotland’s charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. The Scottish third sector turns over £4.5 billion a year and employs 138,000 people in over 45,000 organisations.
2. The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance. Find out more about the pilot programme
3. Read a blog from SCVO's policy manager, Ruchir Shah, about the programme
4. For more details, please contact Charlotte McNeill, Communications & Press Officer, SCVO on 0779 060 1995