Five NGOs have said in a statement that Malta’s Open Government Partnership has failed, as it published a report which showed that only one out of four commitments on the matter have been implemented and that there has been minimal dialogue between the government and civil society.
NGOs Repubblika, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, SOS Malta, Victim Support Malta, and the Aditus Foundation on Wednesday published the final independent monitoring report on Malta’s 2023–2025 Open Government Partnership (OGP) , together with a letter sent to the Prime Minister in June 2024, which warned of failure in the process.
The Open Government Partnership is an international initiative that brings together governments and civil society to promote transparency, accountability, and public participation. Malta has been a member since 2011. “However, its participation has been inconsistent, including a prolonged period of inactivity that led to Malta being formally flagged under the OGP framework,” the organisations said in a statement.
In 2023, the Government reactivated Malta’s commitment by launching a new action plan and establishing a Multi-Stakeholder Forum to bring together civil society and government in a process of co-creation and implementation.
“Civil society organisations entered this process with an open mind and a commitment to collaboration. Unfortunately, from the outset, the process was limited. Commitments were largely pre-defined by the government, timelines were compressed, and opportunities for meaningful contribution were restricted,” the NGOs said.
“After an initial phase of engagement, the government effectively halted dialogue. Requests for meetings were declined, communications went unanswered, and the Multi-Stakeholder Forum did not convene as required. In an attempt to draw attention to the lack of government engagement, in June 2024 civil society organisations formally wrote to the Prime Minister requesting intervention and a restart of the process. That request has, to date, received no reply,” they added.
On Wednesday, the NGOs published the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) Results Report for Malta’s 2023–2025 action plan. The IRM is the OGP’s independent evaluation body, responsible for assessing whether participating countries are delivering on their commitments.
“The report confirms our assessment. It concludes that only one out of four commitments was substantially implemented, that none achieved significant results, and that there was minimal dialogue between government and civil society throughout the implementation process,” the NGOs said.
“Although some limited progress was made in certain areas, particularly through initiatives led by specialised agencies, these isolated developments do not alter the overall conclusion: this process failed to deliver meaningful reform in the area of open government,” they continued.
The NGOs rejected the Ministry for Justice’s claim that this failure is the result of “polarisation” within civil society. They added that civil society has consistently sought constructive engagement, including by proposing that the process address well-established rule of law recommendations from international bodies. These efforts were rejected or ignored.
The OGP is a framework designed to deliver genuine reforms through collaboration. In many countries it has succeeded in strengthening transparency, increasing accountability, and building trust between citizens and the state. “There is no reason why the OGP cannot also succeed in Malta, except, of course, a lack of political will,” the NGOs said.
The NGOs said that while the timing is unfortunate, as the OGP report was finalised and scheduled for publication prior to the recent announcement of the general election, they nevertheless felt an ethical obligation to publish it, given the importance of the issues raised and the responsibility civil society has towards the communities it represents.
“It is important to state clearly that the intention of this report is neither to interfere with nor to politicise the OGP’s findings, but rather to highlight ongoing concerns and recommendations related to governance, collaboration, transparency, and the relationship between government and civil society — issues that remain relevant regardless of the political context or the administration in power,” the NGOs said.
“We therefore call for a fresh start. This requires political commitment at the highest levels, the institutionalisation of regular and meaningful dialogue between government and civil society, and the government’s willingness to seriously address the priorities put forward by civil society on behalf of the communities we represent,” they added.
“With the general election now only days away, we remain hopeful that this moment will bring about renewed openness to collaboration, stronger engagement with civil society, and a genuine commitment to meaningful reform. Civil society remains ready and open to engage constructively with any administration entrusted with leading the country, in the interest of strengthening communities and improving the well-being of all those we serve.”