The U.S. Agency for International Development’s fourth Open Government Plan (Plan v4) outlines initiatives and the progress made since issuance of the 2014 Open Government Plan (v 3.0). It provides updates on ongoing activities, an overview of new activities and Flagship Initiatives that relate to the key principles of open government -- transparency, participation and collaboration. USAID has made significant progress in institutionalizing open government into the Agency culture. The development model focuses on creating public-private partnerships and harnessing science, technology and innovation to deliver measurable results. Additionally, open government principles are increasingly integrated into Agency operations. A few examples of USAID activities since 2014 are highlighted below:
- USAID issued its first-ever open data policy. Agency awards now stipulate that contractors and recipients of USAID funding must submit USAID-funded data on international development to the Agency’s central, public-facing data repository, known as the Development Data Library (DDL). As of August 2016, USAID has received over a dozen datasets a month from its partners around the world and has released over 140 of these datasets to the public via the DDL.
- Through FY 2016, USAID implemented the first three phases of its International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) Cost Management Plan (CMP) making considerable progress delivering on its IATI commitments. As a result of transparency efforts, USAID has seen substantial improvements in Publish What You Fund’s (PWYF) Aid Transparency Index (Index).
- USAID reduced its year-over-year annual FOIA backlog by 10 percent in Fiscal Years 2014 and 2015. The FOIA request backlog was reduced by 36 percent and 51 percent respectively, while the administrative appeal backlog was reduced by 56 percent and 100 percent respectively.
- USAID hosted a first-of-its-kind Open Data Hack-a-thon focusing on crime and violence in Latin America and the Caribbean. The event attracted over 100 participants from approximately 50 organizations worldwide.
- A Global Innovation Exchange was launched in 2016, providing a meeting place for approximately 4,600 innovations, $200 million of active funding opportunities, and 10,000 collaborators.
- USAID implemented an online training series, How to Work With USAID, that currently has 14 modules in numerous languages that can be watched from around the world.
- Content on the external web pages is now available in nearly 30 languages making information on USAID activities accessible to people around the world. The updated plan takes into consideration the concerns highlighted by civil society advocates during a joint stakeholder session sponsored by the Office of Management and Budget.
