Citizen Participation – Page 2

Demystifying development financing

“Demystifying Development Finance” offers insightful insight into Public Development Banks (PDBs) and their profound impact on the world. From the money they invest to the rules they set, these banks influence our lives and the well-being of the planet in ways we often underestimate.

In recent years, the PDBs have advocated playing an even greater role in addressing climate change, global poverty, and other crises. However, the case studies and evidence presented in this report show that BPDs are actually exacerbating problems they claim to solve. The push towards privatization, the extractivist and top-down approach, and the limitations of social and environmental safeguards often deepen inequalities, lead to human rights violations, fuel climate change and increase debt.

Produced by more than 100 civil society activists, this joint analysis aims to open a much-needed discussion about the role development banks play in today’s global economy and what we can do to hold them accountable.

Descargar Documento / Download File

5 de September de 2023

Environment, News

Public consultation on the action plan for defenders in environmental matters

The public consultation on the action plan proposal on human rights defenders in environmental matters is open until July 6, within the framework of the Escazú Agreement. This plan will establish the priority actions and works to be developed at the regional level to advance towards the full and effective implementation of Article 9 of the Agreement.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

Within the framework of the implementation of the Escazú Agreement, at the 1st Conference of the Parties (COP1) in 2022, the countries agreed to create an open-ended ad hoc working group on human rights defenders in environmental matters. This group currently performs its function within the framework of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) under the leadership and coordination of Chile, Ecuador and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Its main task is the preparation of an action plan to be presented at the second regular meeting of the COP for its consideration and approval in 2024. This document, in the preparation stages, is receiving comments and is undergoing a consultation process. with civil society and the public in which all interested persons can participate.

Let us remember that the Escazú Agreement is the first regional environmental treaty in Latin America and the Caribbean and the first in the world to contain specific provisions for the protection of human rights defenders in environmental matters. In particular, Article 9 of the Agreement establishes that “each Party shall guarantee a safe and favorable environment in which individuals, groups, and organizations that promote and defend human rights in environmental matters can act without threats, restrictions, and insecurity. In addition, each Party must take appropriate and effective measures to recognize, protect, and promote their rights, as well as appropriate, effective, and timely measures to prevent, investigate, and punish attacks, threats, or intimidation that they may suffer in the exercise of their rights. of the Agreement”.

Human rights defenders in environmental matters are understood to be any person who defends the right to a safe and healthy environment, the right to land and the rights of indigenous peoples. This poses a great risk, especially in Latin America, where there are daily cases of physical attacks, threats, intimidation, stigmatization and smear campaigns, as well as specific attacks on women defenders of the environment because of their gender.

In this context, a preliminary proposal for the Annotated Index of the Action Plan is in public consultation, which is carried out through a survey, whose objective is to record the comments and observations of the public on the proposed index. This survey facilitates the systematization of all the proposals received, as well as their subsequent review and analysis. You have time to participate until July 6 at 11:59 p.m.

The participation of the public in this process is fundamental, since this plan will establish the priority, specific and strategic actions and works to be developed at the regional level to advance towards the full and effective implementation of Article 9 of the Escazú Agreement.

ACCESS SURVEY

Author
Ananda Lavayen

Contact
Maria Laura Carrizo, lauracarrizo@fundeps.org

30 de June de 2023

Democracy, Environment, News

We stand in solidarity with the citizens mobilized in Jujuy and demand an end to violence

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

In a context of subjugation of fundamental rights, such as the right to fair remuneration, to participate in the political processes of constitutional reforms and to care for the land, protest constitutes a legitimate form of claim for communities and for the citizenship in general.

The purported constitutional reform in the province of Jujuy violates widely recognized rights, such as the right to protest, limiting freedom of expression and property to indigenous lands, and enabling the continued violation of fundamental rights for all people, such as It has been happening since last June 17.

In this context, indigenous communities claim that this constitutional reform advances their acquired rights and their territories. Communities have rights that must be respected in the decision-making processes of the State. In this sense, we highlight that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights “urges Argentina to establish transparent and voluntary dialogue processes, which include local traditional authorities, in order to address the demands of indigenous peoples.”

On the other hand, UN Human Rights expressed its concern about reports of violations of rights and violent actions within the framework of the protests in Jujuy. He made an urgent call for constructive and intercultural dialogue, which guarantees the effective participation of indigenous peoples and all interested parties, to overcome the crisis through democratic and institutional means.

We demand that the government cease institutional violence and repression towards the population, and convene spaces for dialogue and consultation in accordance with international human rights standards.

Furthermore, in a context in which misinformation circulates, and resources are used that relativize institutional violence and stigmatize indigenous peoples, workers and their organizations, we call for the media to carry out responsible dissemination of the facts, incorporating the voice of the people whose rights are being violated.

*Photo: @susi.maresca

21 de June de 2023

Democracy, News

The 5th National Open Government Plan was presented

On May 23, we were at the presentation of the 5th National Open Government Plan, a public policy instrument co-created with civil society and citizens that contains 7 open government commitments to be implemented by different agencies of the national state. We shared the panel with Delfina Pérez from the National Directorate of Open Government, Andrés Bertona from the Anti-Corruption Office and Florencia Caffarone from Democracia en Red.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

The current Plan was co-created in 2022, from the National Open Government Table, in dialogue with the Network of Civil Society Organizations for the Open State and the rest of the citizens who participated in this process. From Fundeps we are part of the National Open Government Board (2020 – 2022) and from that space we contributed to the co-creation of the 5th Plan, articulating between the National Open Government Directorate and different organizations that were involved in it.

This Action Plan is part of the obligations assumed by Argentina before the Alliance for Open Government, which it joined in 2012. Since then, and every two years, the country co-creates and implements different policies and concrete commitments in this scope.

How was the process of co-creation of the 5th Open Government Plan?

For the first time, and in order to guarantee equal participation among all people located in different parts of the country, this Plan was co-created in its entirety virtually, through meeting platforms, the website argentina.gob.ar and its Public Consultation portal. In turn, within the National Open Government Roundtable, and following the recommendations of the Participation and Co-Creation Standards (2022) of the Open Government Alliance, it was agreed to design a Plan with a maximum of 10 commitments.

For this, a prioritization of topics was carried out in consultation with the Network of CSOs for the Open State. The selected topics were: Environment and implementation of the Escazú Agreement; Public work; Gender and Care Policies; Mental health; Open State and Federalization; Water and Sanitation in the AMBA; Information about health providers; Food and implementation of the Law for the Promotion of Healthy Eating (known as the Frontal Labeling Law). Not all, however, concluded in commitments of the Plan, for various reasons. Especially, and in terms of the implementation of the Law for the Promotion of Healthy Eating, from Fundeps we will continue contributing to the construction of proposals that contribute to the application of said law.

After this, the public instances for the design of the 5th Plan began in August 2022, with a series of Challenge Identification Workshops, for each of the pre-selected topics. Their objective was to jointly identify the challenges that the 5th Plan could respond to. Then, in October, the public instance for the reception of proposals was opened, with the slogan that open government policy solutions be suggested, which can respond to those challenges posed. With these inputs, each government area involved drew up its preliminary commitment drafting, which was submitted to public consultation for comments. At the same time, a dialogue instance was developed for each topic – commitment and finally the final writing was carried out.

What does the 5th Open Government Plan consist of?

The current Plan consists of 7 commitments assumed by different departments of the national government.

Compromiso	Dependencia a cargo
1. Participación pública en la toma de decisiones ambientales en el marco de la implementación del Acuerdo de Escazú en Argentina	Secretaría de Cambio Climático, Desarrollo Sostenible e Innovación – Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible de la Nación
2. Participación y control ciudadano en la obra pública	Dirección Nacional de Transparencia – Ministerio de Obras Públicas de la Nación
3. Mujeres en el sistema productivo federal: más evidencia, menos brecha	Dirección Nacional de Seguimiento y Evaluación de la Gestión, Secretaría de Industria y Desarrollo Productivo – Ministerio de Economía
4. Salud Mental: desinstitucionalización e inclusión social de personas con padecimiento mental	Dirección Nacional de Abordaje Integral de la Salud Mental y los Consumos Problemáticos – Ministerio de Salud de la Nación
5. Acceso a la información y políticas de cuidados	Dirección de Mapeo Federal de Cuidado – Ministerio de las Mujeres, Géneros y Diversidad de la Nación
6. El acceso a la información y los prestadores de servicios de salud	Dirección Nacional de Calidad en Servicios de Salud y Regulación Sanitaria – Ministerio de Salud de la Nación
7. Programa Federal de Estado Abierto	Dirección Nacional de Gobierno Abierto – Jefatura de Gabinete de Ministros Dirección de Asuntos Municipales – Ministerio del Interior

Here you can access the details of each of them, from page 37 onwards.

What can citizens and civil society organizations do with the 5th Plan?

Once the Open Government Plan has been designed, the objective is to implement it, in this case, during 2023 and 2024. To this end, any interested person or civil society organization can get involved, either by following up on each stage of its implementation or by participating more actively, when the commitments allow it, in some phases of its fulfillment. In this sense, at least one instance of open dialogue with civil society and citizens interested in the issues addressed was foreseen for each commitment, and the platform Metas de seguimiento del Plan was developed. This seeks to facilitate and energize this implementation instance, which, according to previous experience, is always the most difficult when it comes to articulating and sustaining incentives.

As an organization committed to open government policies and several of the issues addressed in this Plan, we will closely follow and accompany each instance of progress and will be alert to signs of stagnation or setbacks.

It seems to us a great shared achievement, among different organizations that were part of the National Open Government Roundtable, such as the Network of Civil Society Organizations for the Open State, activists and open government policy reformers, that Argentina continues to challenge itself with each new Open Government National Action Plan.

More information

Read about the 5th National Open Government Plan of Action here

Watch the presentation of the 5th Open Government National Plan of Action here

Contact

María Victoria Sibilla, ninasibilla@fundeps.org

31 de May de 2023

Environment, News

We participated in COP2 of the Escazú Agreement

On April 19, 20 and 21, we participated in Buenos Aires in the Second Conference of the Parties to the Escazú Agreement (COP2), of an extraordinary nature. The main objective was to elect the first members of the Support Committee for the Application and Compliance of the treaty, a body that will accompany the countries in the implementation of the Agreement.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

During those days, continuity was given to the work that had begun a year ago at COP1 in Santiago de Chile, where it was agreed to hold the extraordinary meeting of 2023 in order to reach certain “agreements” between the member countries that allow the effective application from Escazú as soon as possible. In this sense, different discussions took place around the existing challenges to strengthen access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters.

The official Conference was held in the rooms of the Hotel Libertador and in parallel there were also a series of talks, workshops and meetings organized by the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development of the Nation in conjunction with civil society organizations. civil. The parallel events were enriching since there were exchanges of experiences, knowledge and knowledge regarding the implementation of the Agreement in the different countries.

On the second day of the COP, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) presented the Implementation Guide, which provides information, guidance and different options for States to carry out the Agreement. pointing out Secretary Carlos de Miguel pointed out that “Escazú must be interpreted in an integral way, with a holistic approach and in good faith.” Some States also presented their implementation plans, Argentina communicated the actions that are being developed within the framework of the Fifth National Action Plan for Open Government.

However, the most significant exchanges and interventions occurred when addressing the Action Plan for Environmental Defenders, an instrument that will allow progress towards the full and effective implementation of Article 9 of the Agreement, which establishes that each State party must guarantee a safe environment for people who defend rights in environmental matters. This is essential since Latin America and the Caribbean are more dangerous regions for environmental defenders. There, the original peoples were the protagonists by manifesting the entire path that remains to be traveled and the innumerable existing needs, among them, having effective participation in environmental protection and justice measures, according to their realities.

The defenders of the province of Córdoba were also able to express their claims through the voice of a neighbor who was a member of Vecinxs Unidxs del Barrio San Antonio, who expressed the serious situation of the defenders who were charged with the cause of the Punilla Highway and the conflict with the company Porta Hnos, among others.

In addition, the defenders put on the table the need for the Agreement to contain a gender perspective. In this sense, they stated that it is necessary to make visible the differentiated risks that women defenders have, to vindicate and make visible the role of women as defenders of life and the environment.

Regarding the election of the Support Committee for the Application and Compliance with the Treaty, the States Parties were in charge of electing the seven members of this new instance: Andrés María Napoli (Argentina), Guillermo Eduardo Acuña (Chile), Mariana Blengio Valdés (Uruguay), Rita Leonette Joseph-Olivetti (Granada), Patricia Madrigal Cordero (Costa Rica), Carole Denise Angela Stephens (Jamaica) and Félix Wing Solís (Panama). For the election, criteria of experience in the subject, geographical distribution, gender parity and legal trajectory were taken into account.

The preparation of an Action Plan that establishes protection standards for human rights defenders in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean was also presented. This plan is made available and considered through a Public Consultation available until June 21 on the ECLAC website.

It is essential to note that citizen participation, one of the strengths of the Escazú Agreement, has been a matter of discussion since the beginning of the conference, since many people could not participate in the event due to the accreditation system for official activities. We must express our annoyance and concern in this regard, given that many defenders were unable to enter the sessions even when there was space in the room. On the other hand, we welcome Brazil’s commitment to be part of the Agreement in the short term, and we urge the other States of the region to ratify it.

We highlight, once again, that Escazú constitutes an essential tool for the protection of the environment in the region, strengthens the work that local communities are carrying out and provides concrete tools to achieve the human right to a healthy environment. For these reasons, we consider it essential that spaces for discussion continue to be generated and fostered so that the Agreement is implemented as soon as possible in all the countries of the region.

More Information

Authors

Ananda Lavayén

Carrizo Maria Laura

Contact

lauracarrizo@fundeps.org

28 de April de 2023

Democracy, Environment, Global Governance, Publications

Lithium and Transparency in Argentina

Throughout this report we will discuss, first of all, a series of data on the current situation of Argentina in relation to lithium production that places it in a central role within the world concert. Then we will focus on the mining governance system, stating the laws that configure it, its main elements and those points that merit further analysis. Subsequently, we will address, from some indicators suggested by the Standard, the two projects that are in the lithium production stage in Argentina: the Fénix Project in the Hombre Muerto salt flat and Sales de Jujuy in the Olaroz-Cauchari salt flat. In particular, regarding whether or not to publicize their contracts, as a fundamental link in terms of publicity and transparency in the development of these projects.

Descargar Documento / Download File

3 de April de 2023

Environment, News

Workshops: How to access environmental rights? Escazú agreement for communities

In the month of March we will start the cycle of workshops “How to access environmental rights? Escazú Agreement for communities”, within the framework of the project “Escazú Agreement: What happens in Córdoba?”, which aims to promote capacities regarding the rights provided for in the Agreement in our province and strengthen community tools to demand its application.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

At the end of last year, we developed the first stage of the project through monitoring and diagnosis of compliance with the rights provided for in the Escazú Agreement (rights of access to information, participation and justice) in our province. The results we obtained aroused great concern about the limited access, by communities, to the rights and tools that the Agreement grants.

Based on the above, the objective of this second stage is to advance in the promotion and consolidation of capacities of the local community, through a cycle of empowerment workshops on the tools provided by this agreement, which was incorporated into our legislation. Within this framework, we will develop four workshops in different strategic locations in the province, with the following schedule:

Alta Gracia – March 18 (9 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Club Central)
Villa María – March 31 (5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. – Universidad Nacional de Villa María)
Cosquín – April 15 (9 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Sociedad Española)
Córdoba – April 28 (in the Amphitheater of the Siglo 21 University – Ituzaingó 484, Nueva Córdoba)

The content of the meetings is presented in 2 large modules:

the first deals with environmental conflicts and essential notions of the human right to a healthy environment and environmental policy;
while in the second it delves into the Escazú Agreement and the rights of access to information, participation and justice.

The speaker will be the lawyer and university professor María Laura Foradori, who is also a specialist in environmental education and a master’s degree in environment and sustainable development, member of ACACIA, a network of environmental lawyers.

We believe that these meetings are very important for the construction of networks and collective knowledge from the territories in struggle against environmental conflicts in our province. We hope that all interested people can join!

Sign up here:bit.ly/TalleresDerechosAmbientales

This activity is supported by:

Mesa por el Agua y el Ambiente Alta Gracia – Feria Agroecológica Córdoba – Vecinos Unidos en Defensa de un Ambiente Seguro (Fuera Porta) – Vecinos autoconvocados por la salud y el ambiente Marcos Juárez – ACACIA Derecho Ambiental – RACC (Red de Abogacía Comunitaria) – Legal Empowerment Fund – Universidad Villa María – Universidad Siglo 21

More Information

Contact

Laura Carrizo, lauracarrizo@fundeps.org

13 de March de 2023

Health, Publications

Transparency and participation of civil society in the CONAL decision-making process | Report

This material was prepared from the advocacy work in the National Food Commission (CONAL) carried out by Fundeps in 2021 and 2022 for the modification of the regulation of trans fats. It takes contributions from the work articulated with other civil society organizations and proposes a reflective analysis in construction, which seeks to contribute to the debate on the need for greater transparency in the process of elaboration, execution and monitoring of public food policies in Argentina.

Descargar Documento / Download File

2 de January de 2023

Health, Publications

Transparency and participation of civil society in the CONAL decision-making process | SUMMARY

This document is the summary of a report prepared from the advocacy work of Fundeps in the National Food Commission (CONAL) in 2021 and 2022 for the modification of the regulation of trans fats. It takes contributions from the work articulated with other civil society organizations and proposes a reflective analysis in construction, which seeks to contribute to the debate on the need for greater transparency in the process of elaboration, execution and monitoring of public food policies in Argentina.

Descargar Documento / Download File

2 de January de 2023

Democracy, News

Budget and Rights: Working group on budget analysis

Last Thursday, November 24, we held a Working Group on Budget and Rights, together with the Civil Association for Equality and Justice (ACIJ), the Observatory of Labor, Economy and Society (OTES) and the accompaniment of the Federal Institute of Government (IFG) of the Catholic University of Córdoba.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

The activity was carried out in continuity with a series of virtual meetings that we held in August of this year, where conceptual issues of the public budget, the gender perspective within the budget, and some examples both in the national budget and in that of the province of Córdoba.

In the Working Group on Budget and Rights, the proposal was rather practical and was divided into two stages. A first exhibition, in which OTES commented on some of its reports and main findings after analyzing the budgets of the province of Córdoba, in recent years. From ACIJ and Fundeps we share where the main budget information is located in the province, to give rise to the second moment of the meeting for budget analysis by the attendees.

So, according to thematic affinities, we divided into groups and based on some triggering slogans, we navigated through the web portals of the province of Córdoba where budget information is found and we proceeded to analyze some policies or programs of interest. In this sense, there were groups on the environment, health, education, housing, disability and gender. At the end, we shared the findings in full and different exchanges were generated about the information that is available, the need to incorporate other elements and indicators when carrying out this type of analysis, among others.

This Table took place a week before the 2023 Budget Public Hearing will be held in Córdoba in the Legislature, which is why at the end we share the information on how to participate in it. It is essential that these spaces for participation are promoted and how to attend is clearly and accessible disseminated, with the aim of diversifying the voices in this space and democratizing the debate around a key element for the guarantee of our rights.

Thank you ACIJ for inviting us to be part of this initiative and we hope to continue generating spaces for dialogue, debate and research around the different public budgets that are dictated at the different levels of government.

More information

Contact

Maria Victoria Sibilla, ninasibilla@fundeps.org

2 de December de 2022

Democracy, News

Hearing of the Plan of Goals of Córdoba: we request to improve access to public information

Last Thursday, May 5, we participated in the first annual review hearing of the 2020-2023 Goal Plan of the city of Córdoba. We focus on the need to improve the exercise of the right of access to public information.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

The Plan of Goals was established in the city of Córdoba in June 2011 and obliges each municipal administration – at the beginning of it – to present the goals that it intends to achieve with its government program, with objectives and indicators of their evolution. . The management of the current Mayor Martín Llaryora established a Plan of 418 goals, framed in 36 objectives, grouped into 5 strategic axes: Modern and innovative municipality, City that provides quality services, Attractive and planned city, Sustainable city and City of opportunities and inclusive.

Every year, and through the Deliberative Council, a Public Hearing must be held where compliance with the Plan of Goals is reported. It is anticipated that the Intendancy must participate in this Hearing as an informant member. This is also an opportunity for civil society organizations, neighborhood centers and citizens in general to make their contributions and comments on the Plan of Goals and its evolution.

Our Participation in the Public Hearing

The hearing took place on Thursday, May 5 from 9 a.m. virtually, through the Zoom platform, and could be followed on the YouTube channel of the City Council. To participate it was necessary to register in advance through a form provided by the Municipality.

One of our first observations had to do with the fact that it was convened with very little notice – 2 days – and, in our opinion, had little diffusion. In our case, we learned about it from the diffusion made by the Red Ciudadana Nuestra Córdoba.

On this occasion we focus our intervention on the need to improve the exercise of the right of access to public information by the Municipality. Although we highlight the efforts undertaken in terms of digitalization and updating of web portals, and specifically in relation to requests for information, we appreciate that the procedure for making them is clearly and simply explained: we request that progress be made in the matter follow-up to requests for public information made and, above all, improve their response rate.

This is a situation contemplated in the Plan of Goals, given that Goal 120 established “Redesign the open government portal to make it simpler and more user-friendly” and it is precisely from the open government portal that requests are made. of public information by citizens – specifically from the section called “Access to Public Information”. That is why we request that this goal not be considered completed, as it appears today in the progress report presented, but that efforts be made to improve in these two aspects. In this sense, we hope that from the Municipality and especially from the dependency in charge, in this case, the Secretariat of Planning, Modernization and International Relations, the remaining time of management and validity of the Plan of Goals will be used to deepen in these improvements.

At Fundeps we remain at your entire disposal to contribute to this end and in this way, collaborate in an effective exercise of the right of access to public information by all citizens, and in a quality open government in the Municipality of Córdoba.

More Information

Goal Plan Hearing. Our share of the min. 1.30 to 1.35.
Goal Plan Ordinance No. 11942/2011

Contact

Nina Sibilla, ninasibilla@fundeps.org.

*Photo from the web portal of the Deliberative Council of Córdoba

23 de May de 2022

Democracy, News

Rudi Borrmann of Local OGP and NGO of Córdoba: a meeting to strengthen ties

On May 5, we had the visit of Rudi Borrmann, the Deputy Director of Local OGP in Córdoba, and from Fundeps and PARES we organized a meeting with other NGOs and spaces of activism for human rights in Córdoba, at the Fundeps Office.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

What is Local OGP?

OGP Local is an area of the Global Open Government Partnership (OGP) dedicated to the promotion and involvement of subnational levels in the open government agenda. The proposal is analogous to what happens at the national level: that subnational governments join this Alliance through open government action plans co-created with civil society following the guidelines suggested by the Alliance.

The presentation of the province and the municipality of Córdoba to OGP Local

Córdoba -province and city, since they were presented jointly- is one of the four districts that joined OGP Local in 2020. The other cities or provinces were: Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, city of Rosario and province of Mendoza. For this reason, both the city and the province of Córdoba presented their open government action plans to the Global Open Government Alliance.

In this context, the province of Córdoba adopted 3 commitments aimed at the territorialization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations Organization) in 4 municipalities in the interior of the province, with a gender perspective and youths. For its part, the municipality of Córdoba assumed 3 commitments, one aimed at strengthening Neighborhood Centers, and another two on improvements in digital experiences for its citizens.

Given that within the framework of this Global Open Government Alliance, all action plans must have their civil society counterpart, that is, they must be co-created with it, from Fundeps and PARES we accompany the plan presented by the province of Córdoba and CIPPEC did the same with the municipality.

An interesting fact is that to join this Alliance, a high-level commitment signed by the highest executive authority of the province or locality in question is requested: here you can find the assumption of commitment by Governor Juan Schiaretti and the Mayor Martin Llorora. Unfortunately, this letter is only published on the Open Government Partnership website and in the English language.

The meeting with NGOs from Córdoba

Within the framework of the visit of the Deputy Director of OGP Local to some local jurisdictions that assumed commitments in OGP Local in Argentina, we organized a meeting with other NGOs and activism spaces in Córdoba. Representatives from EcoHouse, the Argentine Association for Open Government (AGA), Youth for Climate, Minka, Ciscsa – Feminist Cities Córdoba and Global Shapers participated.

The meeting was used to publicize the Global Alliance for Open Government to those who were not so familiar with this space. Rudi Borrmann presented Vital Signs of OGP: 10 years of data in review, a study that accounts for the main successes and challenges of OGP ten years after its operation.

Then a space for consultations and interventions was opened about the Alliance, its relevance and interest for local organizations, as well as some challenges that are noticed when participating, especially from civil society, in open government action plans. in a real and effective way.

At Fundeps and PARES, as NGOs that are accompanying the process in the province of Córdoba, we are committed to increasing the number of organizations that get involved in this space and can contribute significantly to the commitments and action plans that are generated in the local and national OGP framework, contributing with their perspectives, knowledge and experiences in the construction of more participatory, transparent and inclusive open government policies.