Sri Lanka loses its membership of the Open Government Partnership

Sri Lanka has lost its membership of the Open Government Partnership (OGP)—a global initiative to secure commitments from governments to promote open government, combat corruption and improve governance—as it has not submitted the mandatory OGP action plan or indicated a desire to stay on.

“On behalf of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Steering Committee, I must regretfully inform you that the Government of Sri Lanka is no longer considered an OGP participating country effective as of 10 May 2025,” its CEO Aidan Eyakuze has said in a letter to Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, sent on May 28 this year. 

“This decision follows the May 2024 resolution of the OGP Steering Committee to designate Sri Lanka as inactive in OGP due to failure to deliver an action plan since the 2019-2021 cycle,” it states. 

OGP brings together governments and civil society to promote transparency, accountability, and participation in governance. In 2015, Sri Lanka became the first country in South Asia to join the initiative. The 68th member (OGP currently has 152 countries), it became eligible to join with the recognition of the right to information in the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

To regain full participation status in OGP, the government had one year to either publish its action plan developed in line with OGP Participation and Co-Creation Standards; or work with the Criteria and Standards Subcommittee and the OGP Support Unit to set a clear timeline to start a new action plan cycle and re-engage civil society for producing the new action plan.

“As of this date, the Government of Sri Lanka has unfortunately not fulfilled these requirements,” Mr. Oyakuze’s letter states, while recognising and welcoming the country’s “stated interest in rejoining the Partnership in the future”. 

Any future application will be subject to a review of past challenges and the implementation of any corrective measures deemed necessary before reinstating its membership.

The Sunday Times reported last month that Sri Lanka risked losing its membership.

An OGP action plan is a document developed by a government in partnership with civil society, outlining specific commitments the government will make to improve transparency, citizen participation, and accountability.

But Sri Lanka ran into trouble when civil society organisations (CSOs) engaged in the co-creation of its third action plan collectively withdrew in February 2024 to oppose Government actions, specifically the passing of the Online Safety Act and attempts to introduce an anti-terrorism law. They have not rejoined.

Open government promotes transparency, accountability, participation, and collaboration in public administration, emphasizing citizen engagement in decision-making. It aims to improve services, build trust, and foster a culture of openness by sharing data, involving citizens in policy development, and enabling collaboration between government and the public.

OGP staff support reformers in government and civil society in member countries with strategic planning, structured assistance, relationship building, learning and accountability. Experience and information are shared regionally and globally to enable peer learning. OGP also convenes coalitions around policy areas, including gender and inclusion, beneficial ownership, water and more.