Mohamed Abbou (right), the Tunisian minister of administrative reform, with representatives of the World Bank and the EU

Today, a conference on open governance, organized by the European Union, the World Bank, and the Tunisian government, began in Tunis. The conference runs until tomorrow and will discuss achieving greater, more transparent access to information in Tunisia.

Open governance is a concept that has been gaining ground recently in many countries around the world. For example, the United States government’s “Open Government Initiative” – launched in 2009 – aims to create an “unprecedented level of openness in Government,” by establishing a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration.

Since November 2011, Tunisian activists rallied together to create OpenGovTN - a non-partisan initiative working to achieve the objectives of transparency and a corruption-free government.

The movement has approximately 450 members living in Tunisia and abroad, including 26 members of the Constituent Assembly. It includes both an “OpenGov” and an “OpenData” initiative.

In his opening speech, Tunisian Minister of Administrative Reform Mohammed Abbou emphasized the responsibilities that lie ahead of the country for the implementation of the principles of open governance.

“We are not in a dictatorship anymore. We now have a democracy, thanks to the Tunisian people,” Abbou said. Open, transparent governance, he added, is crucial to ensure that the government moves toward guaranteeing a democratic system – and one that will be sustainable for the long term.

Legal and governmental experts from Mexico, Slovenia, Jordan, and Egypt attended the conference to address the difficulties Tunisia faces in its “OpenData” and “OpenGov” endeavors.

Some activists defending the cause of open governance expressed disappointment in the Ministry of Administrative Reform’s lack of coordination with civil society.

Hesham Ragab, a former judge at the Egyptian administrative tribunal, opened the discussion regarding the links between access of information and the revolutions taking place in the Arab world. “Democracy needs more than a revolution – more than just deposing a president. Democracy necessitates a strong, open, inter-governmental network that facilitates the building of a strong economy.”

Lack of information was one of the most compelling elements that led to the Egyptian regime’s downfall, Ragab added. He argued, however, that a deeply rooted culture of secrecy, which still remains in most of the Arab countries, could prove to be a real threat to implementing concepts of open governance.

“International and domestic organizations should put more effort into fostering a culture of openness before pushing any new legislation, which could be rendered null and void if the people do not believe in it,” said Ragab.

A point of contention at the conference was whether the dynamics of open governance, complex as they are, have limits as to what information should be disclosed. “The right to access information is not an absolute right,” argued Ragab.

One founding principle of open data is that of “maximum disclosure” of information. Presenters disagreed over what can be considered an exception to the principle of maximum disclosure: such as information whose potential harm could override potential benefits, sensitive personal data, and confidential data that may threaten national security.

Jordanian Nidal Mansour, president of the Center for the Defense of Journalists’ Liberty (CDFJ), asserted that having a central coordinating body is the key to regulating exceptions. Careful not to undermine the principles of open data and transparency, the body should have a balanced membership on its board – including governmental and representatives from civil society -  that would ensure adequate participation, she argued.

Other specific challenges that countries of the so-called Arab Spring face in implementing open governance include the lack of political will, lack of resources to organize public information, and budget deficiencies. “Thankfully in Tunisia, we are not starting from zero – we have the legal framework set up for the administration to begin doing its work. But we still need the resources to move forward,” said Abbou.

What is certain, however, is the need and desire that the Tunisian people share for a corruption-free government, aided by the procedures of open governance. Civil society organizations have been active in demanding an open model of governance that encourages citizenry to be active in the political and social spheres.

Jazem Halioui, a member of the OpenGovTN group, said that “we would like to see the minister of administrative reform to involve citizens in the implementation of the new procedures that guarantee transparency – for example, in making public the administration’s budget, with all its details, as a first step.”

Halioui suggested that a next step could be the involvement of civil society and citizens in the the ministry’s working groups to help define its coordination with other levels of governance, such as municipalities and state administrations.

“We are giving the current government a chance to prove its good intentions – because whether or not it implements effective open governance, we will fight for our rights regardless,” Halioui said.