Openness and transparency have become defining features of democracies around the world. Governments that are open and transparent are more accountable to their citizens and less corrupt. The basis of any open government lies in the public’s freedom to access information: the right to information is the precursor to openness.  The number of countries with right to information laws is growing and there is an increasing body of international treaties and conventions putting pressure on nations to adopt them. Drawing on experiences and examples from across the globe, this paper lays out three strands for creating an open and transparent government: right to information laws that establish the legal right for the public to access the information that they want; proactive transparency where governments publish as much information as possible; and open data systems allowing anyone to re-use data in ways that are more relevant to them. The paper emphasises, however, that creating a system of openness is not just a technical tick-box process. All reforms operate in a political context that can either drive or hinder reform.  And as such there needs to be buy-in from a range of actors: top-level politicians, public officials and implementers, and citizens. The Report is available in English and Arabic