International Open Data Charter

The International Open Data Charter is a set of principles and best practices for the release of governmental open data. The charter was formally adopted by seventeen governments of countries, states and cities at the Open [Government Partnership] Global Summit in Mexico in October 2015. The original signatories included the governments of Chile, Guatemala, France, Italy, Mexico, Philippines, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Uruguay, the cities of Buenos Aires, Minatitlán, Puebla, Veracruz, Montevideo, Reynosa, and the Mexican states of Morelos and Xalapa. As of 2025, 172 national and subnational governments are signatories and the Charter has been endorsed by 81 organisations and non-state actors.

WWW Official Site 𝕏 opendatacharter

Principles

The charter mandates that data released by governments comply with these principles:

Open by Default
Timely and Comprehensive
Accessible and Usable
Comparable and Interoperable
For Improved Governance and Citizen Engagement
For Inclusive Development and Innovation

Implementation

New Zealand

New Zealand joined the Open Data Charter in 2017. The charter supports and builds on the New Zealand Declaration on Open and Transparent Government and the Data and Information Management Principles. The goals of New Zealand are to enforce its commitment to open data, ensure it remains internationally aligned, and provide government agencies with a more modern and clear articulation of principles and supporting actions for accelerating the release of open government data.