Invitation to host a REMOTE HUB in your country in the context of the upcoming OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP ANNUAL SUMMIT

As the Annual OGP Summit is approaching, more and more discussions are taking place in OGP member countries around the Summit Agenda, opportunities to engage in the discussions, ways to exchange views on critical issues, what works and what does not work when it comes to Open Government, experiences of civil society organizations related to their efforts to keep Governments accountable and many more. Participants from all over the world will be able to follow remotely some of the most important sessions of the Summit during October 31st - November 1nd, 2013, via high quality webcasts. However, in order to bring more local perspectives into the issues addressed during the Summit, as well as to have more inclusiveness and dialogue, OGP encourages member countries to have local events or so called remote hubs to be organized before the Summit dates. What is a remote hub in the context of OGP Annual Summit? It is an in-country event organized in an OGP member country; It can last from 2-3 hrs. to a full day dedicated to Open Government issues; It can bring together participants from civil society, Government, media, business sector, etc. The number does not matter, it is the quality of the discussions that is important; It is organized 2-3 weeks prior to the OGP Annual Summit; It discusses themes introduced at the Annual Summit from the local perspective; It contributes to more awareness about Open Government related issues, fosters networking among different stakeholders involved in Open Government Agenda at country level, comes with opinions, recommendations or specific questions on certain Summit related issues/workshops, etc.; Results of the remote hubs are shared with Summit organizers, and input from remote hubs is addressed during the Summits meetings or working sessions; Results are made public via the OGP platform (reports, video materials produced as a result of it).

Why organize a remote hub in the context of the OGP Annual Summit? It provides participants in member countries with opportunities to learn more about the Summit and issues that are going to be addressed during the Summit; It provides participants in member countries with opportunities to share their opinions, questions, and specific recommendations; It brings more visibility to in-country efforts around Open Government; It motivates participants in member countries to follow the work of the Summit via the webcast during the Summit dates, and be more prepared for remote participation;

What do you need in order to be able to organize a remote hub? A local leader/focal point/remote hub moderator; Potential partners (civil society organizations, Governmental Agencies, donors, Embassies);

Volunteers who might be interested to provide support in disseminating news about the local hub agenda/details, send invitations, collect feedback or input received during the discussions, video-record interviews with participants, prepare a short video for the OGP Blog, etc.; A meeting room for up to 40 participants (and some water/tea/coffee);

How would be a preliminary agenda for a remote hub event look like? Time/duration Part 1 (up to 55-60 minutes) Details - Introductions of the participants, speakers or presenters; - Brief presentation of the OGP Annual Summit concept, agenda, workshops/sessions and/or main issues to be addressed during the Summit, who will represent the country (if any); - Presentation of the main in-country progress made on Open Government (Action Plan implementation process, challenges, next steps, etc.) - Q&A This part can focus on one main issue/topic of most relevance or importance at country level, which is also going to be addressed during the Summit itself a local expert/s can be invited to share the main challenges faced at local level, current situation in this sector/field, international experiences, etc.

Part 2 (up to 35-45 minutes)

Part 3 (up to 1 hr and more )

For this part, participants can be divided in smaller groups (so that to encourage participation of everyone in the discussions). Each group might have a person responsible to taking notes and presenting the result of the work. Group 1 discusses and shares their comments, suggestions, and recommendations based on the issue addressed in Part 2 by the local expert. They can also discuss the next steps at country level in this particular field, their specific Qs to be addressed to the local expert, etc.; Group 2 - formulates questions for the OGP Summit moderators/speakers or presenters who will address the same issue/topic during the Summit; Group 3 formulates suggestions/recommendations for their peers in OGP member countries on the same issue/topic. All groups present their results; Brief Q&A.

Part 4 (Up to 10-15 minutes)

Wrap-up: Participants receive all the details related to how to participate remotely during the dates of the Summit, what sessions they should follow so that they hear some input from international experts on the topic/issue addressed during their local hub, and other details. Note: Moderator of the remote hub can have all names of the participants collected, and create a facebook group or mailing list via which to further keep communication going around the OGP Annual Summit 2013.