At the core of the OGP process is the National Action Plan (NAP), a set of commitments to be undertaken by the government to address a wide range of priority issues.

OGP member countries collaborate with citizens, representative groups and stakeholders to identify these pressing issues and formulate a plan of action through a co-creation process coordinated by a Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF).

The Multi-Stakeholder Forum

The MSF is a mechanism designed to maximise participation and cooperation between government and civil society by bringing relevant partners into the discussion and ensuring that all voices are heard. It also creates opportunities for public participation in the process.

The Forum is an essential to each country’s successful participation in OGP and is intended to promote transparency, accountability and inclusion in the government's decision making process.

It is a crucial part of the OGP's collaborative approach to open government reform.

Jamaica’s MSF is made up of eight civil society representatives and eight government representatives. It is co-chaired by one civil society representative, and one government representative. Members of the MSF generally serve for two years, overseeing one OGP cycle.

The Co-Creation Process

For public participation to be meaningful, the co-creation process allows any interested stakeholders (citizens, civil society organisations, government departments, subnational governments, parliament, academics, private sector, etc.) to provide ideas and feedback, identify priorities, and propose commitments for the action plan.

The process seeks input from underrepresented groups to define priorities through targeted awareness-raising and outreach to broaden the circle of engaged actors. 

The objectives of the co-creation process should be clear, stakeholders and their roles must be defined, available resources should be identified, and the timeline to complete the process should be clearly articulated and laid out.

Stakeholder & Public Feedback

Once NAP commitments are drafted they are communicated back to stakeholders and to the public for feedback and further refinement through additional rounds of engagement. This open consultation process allows ordinary members of the public to review the draft plan and share feedback for consideration. This is meant to ensure genuine, high-quality conversation and ultimately greater buy-in of the action plan.

Once feedback/response is received the action plan is finalised and after receiving the proper approvals from Cabinet is then submitted to the OGP Support Unit.