Transparency, accountability and participation are the central values of "open government," as outlined by the international Open Government Partnership initiative. From 2021 to 2024, Taiwan's first Open Government National Action Plan delivered progress on this front and laid a solid foundation. Now, the government has launched the next stage of the action plan for 2025 to 2028, strengthening democracy through public-private cooperation mechanisms, deepening its focus on challenges in five major areas—environment and climate, digital governance, inclusion, anti-corruption, and information access—and introducing seven key commitments. The action plan seeks to address both global trends and domestic needs, enhance digital technology applications, expand diverse civic participation opportunities and increase policy transparency, thus positioning Taiwan as a reliable partner in the international community.
Seven key commitments
■ Climate change engagement and social discourse: Establish a one-stop, open platform for climate information that consolidates government reports and data. Foster civic participation and discussion through a climate public dialogue platform. Implement four sandbox trials of green energy projects. Expand bottom-up approaches toward Taiwan's transition to net-zero carbon emissions.
■ Mechanisms for the management and transparency of government collection of personal data: Review the personal data disclosure practices of government institutions. Clarify data requirements and feasible data practices. Establish governance, management and transparency mechanisms to ensure a balance between personal data protection and AI data development.
■ Enhanced cross-ministry data sharing and public code development: Strengthen data governance and diversify participation mechanisms for government data sharing. Design data frameworks suitable for AI development. Create public code services accessible to everyone, and establish coding standards for government-developed software.
■ Programs promoting youth engagement in Hakka affairs: Convene a Hakka youth advisory committee to expand young people's participation in Hakka public affairs. Encourage Hakka youth to get involved in activities such as Hakka pop music (H-pop), Hakka language teacher training, youth tourism in Hakka villages, and relocation programs.
■ Narrowing of the digital divide for indigenous communities: Strengthen digital infrastructure, strategically allocating resources to improve internet coverage and digital education opportunities. Build online learning networks and digital resource support for indigenous communities.
■ Greater transparency in political donations: Raise the transparency of political donations and conduct a thorough review of related issues, drawing on international legislative examples for guidance. Invite participation from all sectors in related discussions.
■ GoOcean – a service platform offering safety information on marine recreational activities: Deliver real-time risk alerts through GoOcean to reduce the occurrence of marine recreation accidents.