ENHANCING OPEN GOVERNMENT IN PNG

By Langa Kopio

Acting Head of Open Government Partnership Secretariat

This course will enhance my ability to solve policy issues I’m faced with in everyday life. The policy, legislative and structure reforms in Papua New Guinea (PNG) call for an innovative thinking and structural approach to problem solving.

Working as an Assistant Secretary for the Department of National Planning and Monitoring which is the central agency in the Government of Papua New Guinea (GoPNG) in articulating policy directions of the Government into cascading policies and development plans with specific targets, indicators and strategies, hence setting a clear pathway for growth and development in the country.

The Department ensures that the policies and plans are aligned from top-down and bottom-up with an aim of leaving no child behind. My role involves in the coordination of the formulation, review, and implementation of all economic and development policies and plans in the country.

I also provide strategic advice to the national budget drafting team each fiscal year in ensuring that the budget is policy-driven so that the budget funds the policy priorities of the Government. As such, this course is very important and will enhance my ability and capacity as a strategic Officer to do better in my role as a policy and decisionmaker for the benefits of citizens.

I’m also working as an Acting Head of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Secretariat for the GoPNG. As you might be aware, OGP is a Global Initiative started in 2011 with 8 countries and now there are 79 countries in the world participating.

The focus of the OGP is to promote; greater democracy, transparency, accountability, making leaders responsive to citizens’ needs, and making the citizens participate in decision-making, policy formulation, development planning, budgetary processes, service delivery and monitoring & reporting. It also calls for the government to make timely available of important public information for citizen access.

As an Acting Head of Secretariat for the newly created Secretariat, I’m faced with mounting workloads with limited staff. I need to deliver for the country with innovative thinking and approach in my everyday work in undertaking activities aimed at addressing Governance Issues. Through the OGP Platform, Government is making policy and legislative reforms to establish sound policy and legal frameworks.

Making reference to our focus area of study on “Good Governance”, me and my Officers need to learn innovative approaches to promote Good Governance or address issues affecting Governance in PNG.

Young leaders learning and working together with set goals and objectives is important for making much needed impacts not only at the national level but also at the subnational levels.

The issues faced by the people from different spare of lives is similar, thus working in a collaborate approach would assist each other very much. Four of us are interested in working together to learn more to enhance our abilities and capacities to amicably address Governance Issues in PNG.

I look forward to learn more from this course.

Learn more about the PDIA 2 Cohort here.