Transparency * Participation * Collaboration

The Government continually depends upon the support of Congress and the People, and that support can be expected only in the condition of keeping them thoroughly and truthfully informed of the manner in which the powers derived from them are executed.

William Henry SewardFormer Secretary of State

The Open Government Directive and the Progress Report to the American People lay out how the United States is breaking down long-standing barriers between the Federal government and the people it serves. The Directive instructs agencies to take immediate, specific steps to open their doors and data to the American people.

The Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government ushers in a new era of open and accountable government meant to bridge the gap between the American people and their government.

The State Department’s Public Engagement Activity

Prior to the publication of the 2016 Open Government Plan [5 MB], the State Department published a draft of the Plan and conducted an online discussion between federal employees and the public on the initiatives proposed for inclusion in the 2016 Plan. The goal of this dialogue was to engage with the public on the topics of transparency, participation, and collaboration and to define how these objectives are represented in the Department’s Plan.

Using the online GovUp platform hosted by TechChange, participants in the online discussion were able to review the State Department’s proposed Open Government initiatives, make comments, and share ideas prior to the publication of 2016 Plan.

Featured Datasets

Visit the State Department on Data.gov  to discover our latest datasets.

Records and Reports

Related Resources

U.S. Department of State

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