Tag Archive for: Democracy

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Trunk gas pipelines: What will happen to the most vulnerable population?

The Comprehensive Gas Infrastructure Program – or the Trunk Gas Pipeline Program – promoted by the government of the Province of Córdoba, came to an end in 2019 with the completion of the works. By 2022, works continue at the municipal level, and the program has already begun its phase of connection to the natural gas network. However, there are still doubts about how citizens will be able to access the service, especially those who are located in vulnerable sectors.

“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”.

Access to public information and transparency are constituted as a fundamental human right. People have the right to know what will be planned for their communities and based on this, make informed and pertinent decisions about the development processes that will affect their lives.

In the field of public policies, providing and guaranteeing access to public information is the cornerstone of good governance. Transparency is vital to enable individuals and communities to hold their institutions accountable and to foster trust in government and reduce corruption. Ensuring this right results in the generation of opportunities for citizens to learn, grow and make better decisions for themselves and those around them.

Reference to this is relevant when analyzing public policies and programs that aim to contribute to large-scale development. Such is the case of the Comprehensive Gas Infrastructure Program promoted by the Government of the Province of Córdoba. This series of infrastructure works began in 2015 and ended in 2019, with the purpose of “strengthening the natural gas supply to homes, businesses and industries.” According to the Government, 890 million dollars were invested to deploy 2,801 kilometers of pipes that will give the possibility of connecting to the natural gas network to 972,430 Cordovans without service. However, the planning began long before the year of implementation and under sustained skepticism due to the lack of information and transparency regarding its financing, its potential environmental and social impacts, the number of total beneficiaries, among others.

After the end of the project in 2019, there were still doubts about what the connection process would be like for the localities and how citizens would have effective access to the service. Similarly, there were also infrastructure works to be completed at the municipal level. By July 2021, the Government declared that 75 localities already had access to natural gas after the trunk gas pipeline program. Mention was made of the number of inhabitants who will benefit, without regard to information regarding their location and other data that show whether the gaps in inequality in access have begun to close or may be closed as a result of this work. This is of vital importance since the government also spoke about the Bancor credit network for homes and businesses, which would facilitate the connection and obtaining the service. It remained to be seen how those marginalized and vulnerable groups who will find it difficult to access this benefit will be supported, and who therefore will not have access to natural gas -or will be able to do so in the distant future.

Towards 2022 the doubts regarding the scope of this project for the population of Cordoba have not yet dissipated. According to Cordoba news portals, the connection of companies and businesses to the natural gas network is progressing at a much faster pace than the connection of homes. This discrepancy arises more than anything else because connecting to the network is expensive and involves decision-making at the family level. Even when the conditions have been provided to facilitate access – through credits, and the now confirmed support from the provincial government for vulnerable families – not all people are in equal conditions to quickly decide to join the network. In many cases, the connection also requires the structural adaptation of houses and the purchase of household appliances.
Regarding the latter, access to information and transparency play a fundamental role. In the first place, because if the project had been published and socialized correctly with the populations of the affected localities, the families could have decided to plan in advance the connection to the network. Secondly, the role played by government officials when informing and publishing the documentation regarding a project of this caliber is evidenced. This was left in the hands of the municipal level and its mayors, and in many cases their actions to inform the population were deficient -especially considering that works have also been needed at the municipal level to guarantee the connection-.
The practice of publishing information such as the publication of documents does not mean or result in an informed citizenry. Added to the open data and active transparency initiatives are actions aimed at informing the population, such as public consultations. These spaces work -or should work- as opportunities to socialize information about projects and public policies, obtain feedback from citizens and work on a co-creation process. During the beginning of the work of trunk gas pipelines, a good part of the challenges identified had to do with the lack of public consultations -required by law- and the general misinformation of the people about the possible impacts and benefits of the project.

Towards 2022 there is no accurate information on the works carried out in the localities and the public consultations that have been carried out with neighbors. The existence of these instances play a crucial role in citizen decision-making. Especially in these cases when it is a duty to report on the project, warn of the impacts, clarify the benefits and clarify the alternatives that families would have to access the network gas service.

In this sense, even though the work of the Trunk Gas Pipelines represents a great advance for the Province of Córdoba, and the possibility of closing the inequality gaps in access to natural gas, the serious problems regarding access to public information still stand out, transparency and accountability. A project of this magnitude should have had clear and concise information for the population from the beginning, communication channels with citizens, much more transparent work award processes, etc. The process has not yet finished, and there is an opportunity for the provincial government to make an effort to make transparent what remains to be done.

 

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Author

Agustina Palencia

Contact

Gonzalo Roza, gon.roza@fundeps.org

 

*Photo taken from losprimeros.tv

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Active Transparency: discussion on good practices and challenges

On Friday, June 3, the meeting Current practices and challenges in Active Transparency was held. The cases of Mendoza and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA), organized by the group of NGOs that make up Fundeps, Nuestra Mendoza, the Center for the Implementation of Constitutional Rights, the Legislative Directory, Andhes, Salta Transparent and Acción Colectiva.

“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 discussion took place in virtual mode and is the first activity to be carried out within the framework of the Debate Cycle on Transparency 2022, promoted by the group, with the aim of proposing conversations with officials in charge of the transparency agendas of different provinces and localities of the country. The proposal aims to generate an environment conducive to debate and exchange of experiences that contribute to strengthening the practices of active and passive transparency of all public powers and the effective exercise of these rights by citizens.

On this occasion, we spoke with Diego Seoane, Deputy Director of Access to Public Information (AIP) at the Office of Administrative Investigations and Public Ethics of Mendoza, with María Gracia Andía, Head of the guarantor body for Access to Public Information, and with Fernanda Araujo, Information Architecture Manager, both from CABA.

The first part of the meeting was dedicated to the institutional design of each jurisdiction and how they comply with the obligations of active transparency, that is, in what these levels of government must publish ex officio, given that both have laws that oblige them in this regard. . In this sense, Diego Seoane commented that in Mendoza, by Law No. 9070 of 2018, a single enforcement authority was established, which is the Office of Administrative Investigations and Public Ethics. It governs all the powers of the State and has jurisdiction over other laws such as the Public Ethics and Clean File. Within this Office, the Sub-Directorate for Access to Public Information, which is made up of two people, is the enforcement authority in everything related to AIP, it is the body for appealing requests for information and, in turn, has the function of control compliance with the active transparency of all regulated entities. The role of the Sub-Directorate is complemented by that of “Guarantor Officials” in each of the regulated entities, who are in charge of both the obligation to respond to requests for information and the active publication of information that provides Mendoza’s law.

Desde las expositoras de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, consulte que la ley N° 104 de 2016 estableció una estructura de dos niveles, compuesta por Órganos Garantes y Autoridades de Aplicación en cada uno de los poderes de la ciudad (Ejecutivo, Legislativo y Judicial). Las funciones de estas autoridades se complementan, los Órganos Garantes tienen la función general de promover este derecho, generar informes, elaborar convenios, realizar auditorías de oficio y actuar en caso de denuncias por incumplimiento de la ley en el poder del que depende. Por su parte las Autoridades de Aplicación gestionan los pedidos de información pública, cumplen con las obligaciones de transparencia activa, orientan a la ciudadanía en el ejercicio de este derecho, capacitan a los sujetos obligados dentro del poder correspondiente, entre otros. A su vez cuentan con las figuras de Enlaces para el cumplimiento de la transparencia pasiva, y de Referentes Institucionales y Operativos, para las obligaciones de transparencia activa en cada sujeto obligado.

In a second, they consulted on a practical practice of each dependency and the main challenges they noticed in the exercise of their functions. From Mendoza, the systematic monitoring that was done in the passive transparency process was highlighted as a good practice, that is, the requests for information that were made, which directly impacted the improvement of the active transparency process. He cited, for example, that from 130 requests made to the Housing Institute, they dropped to 30 once the information was made available and their website was improved. He also highlighted the fact of having a direct transparency button in each obligated subject and locating there everything that the law stipulates. He stated that this was a great advance because in the early stages, the information was recorded but it was disordered and even redundant. From CABA, the Transparency Portal appeared, which concentrates the active transparency obligations of the city government and the Active Transparency Index, which is a tool created to monitor transparency policies and access information therein. They also shared some experiences of focused transparency, that is, of specific interest for a certain group or group of people, such as a Guide that was prepared with synthesized information for Heads of Single-Parent Families.

In relation to the challenges, from Mendoza, although they affirm that the institutional design given by the law is correct, they consider that with a better organizational structure they could fulfill their functions more efficiently. Then, a challenge shared by both jurisdictions, although each one has different designs and tools, had to do with the constant improvement in the implementation of transparency and access to public information laws. As well as other citizen demands. Emphasis was also placed on improvement in terms of accessibility, clear language, access for people with different abilities, among others.

Finally, and in coincidence with the audience and the civil society organizations organizing the event, the need to make sustained progress on transparency and access to public information by all branches of government, that is, the Legislative Branches, was considered. and Judicial.

Contact

Nina Sibilla, ninasibilla@fundeps.org

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Favorable tax ruling on access to public information

Within the framework of an amparo for default due to the lack of response from the Municipality of Córdoba in a request for public information, the attorney general stressed that “The plaintiff Foundation was forced to go to court to obtain action on the part of the Management.”

“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”.

On May 2, we obtained an important judicial pronouncement regarding the right of access to public information, in the context of the injunction for default filed due to non-compliance with four requests for information filed in different areas of the Municipality of Córdoba. Before delving into the pronouncement, we recall some basic issues on the subject:

What is considered public information?

It is all types of data contained in documents of any format that are generated, obtained, transformed, controlled or safeguarded by the Public Administration at its different levels and by those subjects who have received public funds.

What does the right of access to public information imply?

It includes the possibility of any person to freely search, access, request, receive, copy, analyze, reprocess, reuse and redistribute public information. This right applies in a broad sense to all information in the possession of public bodies, including all controlled and archived information in any format or medium. It is important to mention that this right has an instrumental nature for the exercise of other rights, especially by those who are in subordinate or vulnerable positions, since it is only through precise knowledge of the content of human rights and their forms and means. of exercise that can be effectively accessed to its full enjoyment and enjoyment.

So anyone can request public information?

Yes, Law 27275 on the Right to Access to Public Information establishes that “Every human or legal person, public or private, has the right to request and receive public information.” In Córdoba there is an important precedent of the Superior Court of Justice that also establishes that “the human right of access to public information must be analyzed from a broad and holistic perspective.” and that “this right corresponds to every person without the need to prove any interest or special legal situation, accepting a broad legitimacy that includes both action in administrative and judicial courts.” The way to access it is through a request for public information.

And what is a public information request?

It is that request that is made in writing or by electronic means and without any formality, of all that information generated, administered or in possession of the organs of the Executive, Legislative, Judicial State, Municipalities and Autonomous, local Political Parties and any organization that engage in public spending.

The only requirement that is imposed is that the request for information must be submitted to the regulated entity that possesses it or is presumed to possess it. It can be done in writing or by electronic means and without any formality, it is only enough to indicate the identity of the requesting person, the clear identification of the information requested and the contact details, in order to send the information or announce that it is available.

All requests for public information must be satisfied within a certain period: in the case of national organizations it is 15 business days, while in the Province and the Municipality of Córdoba it is 10 days. In all cases, the Administration may request extensions, and must justify it.

But what happens in practice?

Our experience with the request for public information at the different levels and state areas is very uneven. While at the national level, and thanks to the mechanisms provided for by Law 27275, requests for information are usually answered in a timely manner, at the provincial and municipal level, in most cases, we do not receive a response within the stipulated period. This lack of response forces us to prosecute requests for information through the filing of injunctions for default.

Given this situation, once the demand is admitted, it is transferred to the Administration so that it can present a report explaining why it is in arrears, that is, why it did not provide the requested information. In most cases, faced with this transfer, the Administration produces the information that had been requested, notifies the petitioner, and then reports it in the file, requesting that the legal case become abstract, because the information has already been delivered. . In this type of case, the court usually resolves in this sense, declaring the cause abstract and imposing the “costs by order”. This means that the Administration should not bear any type of expense when requests for information are prosecuted, even when it is its attitude that forces the petitioners to initiate an amparo proceeding.

A change of criteria in the tax opinion

Through Opinion No. 344 issued on May 2 in the case “Foundation for the Development of Sustainable Policies C/ Municipalidad de Córdoba – Amparo Ley 8803”, File. No. 10221471, the Public Prosecutor’s Office ruled establishing an important criterion in terms of amparos for default and right of access to public information. In this trial, the Municipality of Córdoba filed an appeal against the Chamber’s ruling, for disagreeing with what was resolved on costs.

The prosecutor understood that “at the discretion of this Public Ministry, there is a winner and a loser by the force of the facts, and in direct relation to the object pursued by the applicant; because however it may be, the Administration complied with the dictation of the administrative act, but outside the term that the law contemplates and due to a judicial process. And therefore, his situation is equal to that of the vanquished.”

In this sense, it affirmed that “The plaintiff Foundation was forced to go to court to obtain action on the part of the Administration. It does not seem fair or reasonable that the claimant should bear the expenses and fees accrued by him for the processing of a case whose origin is negligent conduct on the part of the Administration and the exercise of a constitutional right. It is for this reason that the theft of judiciary matter produced in the proceedings does not imply in any way the displacement of the objective principle of defeat as a criterion for the imposition of costs”.

We welcome the Attorney General’s decision, as it sets an important precedent in terms of the right of access to public information. Thus, the exercise of a constitutional right cannot entail that the applicant bears the costs of a process that would not have existed if the administration had responded within the legal term. It is important to mention that this is not an isolated event, but rather a systematic practice of the Administration that limits access to information to those who have the economic and legal means to demand a response to information requests before the courts.

 

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Author

Noelia Salvia 

Contact

Mayca Balaguer, maycabalaguer@fundeps.org

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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.

 

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Contact

Nina Sibilla, ninasibilla@fundeps.org. 

 

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

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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.

 

 

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– Territorialize the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals in four municipalities of the province with a significant perspective of open government, emphasizing collaboration between actors.

– Municipalities and partner social organizations that participate in the Local OGP Program in the incorporation of a gender perspective and a youth approach in the process of territorialization of the SDGs.

– Make visible the actions and processes developed within the framework of the OGP Local Program by local governments and civil society organizations.

– Promote processes of self-management of neighboring sustainable development through the Neighborhood Centers of the City of Córdoba, taking the Sustainable Development Goals as planning axes.

– Provide citizens with a digital application through which they can report incidents, claims and complaints.

– Continuous redesign of digital media systems to improve or optimize the experience of citizens and navigation.

 

Contact

Nina Sibilla, ninasibilla@fundeps.org.

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Report: Demands and Challenges in Access to Public Environmental Information

Within the framework of the project “Strengthening the capacities of civil society in the exercise of the right to public information through the Escazú Agreement”, we shared the debates and reflections on the effective fulfillment of this right.

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The demands and challenges in accessing public environmental information

During the months of October and November, together with the participation of professionals and specialists in On the matter, three synchronous virtual meetings were held where different points related to access to public environmental information and the tools provided by the Escazú Agreement were addressed. Having finished and culminated the project, thanks to the information provided by the participants, the exchanges and debates that took place, we made a series of reflections and questions about the effective fulfillment and exercise of this right.

“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 first of the three workshops featured a lecture by María Laura Foradori, lawyer and specialist in Environmental Education, the second with Ana Di Pangracio, lawyer and Executive Director of Farn, and the third, eminently practical, was directed and accompanied by members from the Fundeps team.

During the meetings, by virtue of the expressions and comments that were given, it was possible to notice a great unsatisfied demand from groups of people and civil society organizations that seek to access information associated with numerous environmental problems. Also, indirectly, there is an escalation in socio-environmental conflict, a growing awareness in relation to the importance of caring for the environment and the need to get involved in its protection.

Those demands, in part, are consolidated from the ignorance of the tools and instruments that allow access to public information in general, and environmental information in particular. On the other hand, they can also originate from disbelief in institutional functioning, based on experiences with a high degree of non-compliance when receiving responses. In addition, the need to resort most of the time to legal claims has repercussions on the will of the citizenry, thereby delegitimizing the institutional design that guarantees access to environmental information.

Faced with this scenario, we believe that it is necessary to make institutional adjustments through public policies that make known and bring the tools for access to environmental information to the public. Likewise, it is imperative that improvements be made to ensure that the State complies with its obligation to provide responses.

To make this possible, we propose a series of recommendations and suggestions to the authorities, including updating the Law on Access to Public Information in the province of Córdoba, the creation of an Agency or Office with competence in the matter, improvements in the information request mechanisms so that they are easy to understand and access for citizens, improvement in the response rate to requests for information that are made, training authorities on access to public information as a human right and the implementation of specialized agencies and entities in environmental matters for the monitoring and inspection of all requests for information.

In turn, it is necessary to adapt the regulations for minimum environmental budgets in terms of access to information to the standards of the Escazú Agreement since this reaffirms and reinforces the rights of people to access and participate in environmental matters, environmental democracy and commits the international responsibility of the Argentine State in the event of any breaches.

Finally, we must also highlight the fundamental role assumed by organized civil society and citizens in the exercise of this right. On the one hand, in continuing to provide tools and get involved in exercising this right responsibly and, at the same time, offering alternative solutions to the authorities so that they guarantee the rights contemplated in the Escazú Agreement.

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More information

Autor

Ananda Lavayén

Contact

Juan Bautista López, juanbautistalopez@fundeps.org

 

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Public budget: the debate and approval stage began in the Legislature

Each year budget laws are enacted that will guide the development of public policies for the following year, both at the national and provincial levels and in all the municipalities of the country. Through these laws, management priorities are set, and it is determined how much will be collected and invested in public policies.

“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 Córdoba, this process began on November 15 when the provincial executive sent the provincial public budget bill to the Legislature, and with the presentation made by the Minister of Finance, Osvaldo Giordano, to the legislative body two days later. The project must be accompanied by a “Message from the Executive” which is a reflection of the government plan that the provincial government is in charge of to guide economic activities.

After this, a period of debate and review begins in several of the Legislative Commissions. Of these, the one that plays a major role in this process is the Economy, Budget, Public Management and Innovation Commission, since it is in charge of preparing the opinion (or two, one by majority and one by minority) that is incorporated into the order. of the day of the Legislature to be dealt with in Sessions.

 

How is the budget law approved in Córdoba?

The budget law is approved through the “double reading” mechanism, provided for by the Constitution of the province for certain important cases (such as the declaration of constitutional reform, borrowing, among others), which involves the debate in two legislative sessions. This arrangement was foreseen once the Legislature of Córdoba became unicameral, as of 2001. In addition, the possibility of holding a public hearing, between sessions, is foreseen, which in the case of the approval of the budget law it is mandatory.

In other words, it is approved in two legislative sessions, between which no more than 15 days can elapse, and a hearing is held in between. Entities representing various social, economic, productive, professional sectors, as well as citizens in general, usually participate in this.

This Hearing must be convened by the presidency of the Legislature, that is, the vice-government, once the bill has been approved in first reading. In addition, the call must be published both in the Official Gazette and in a newspaper of circulation of the province, for two days and one day respectively. The Legislature’s outreach channels are also used, such as its own website.

Any person, association or organization that wishes to give their opinion, comments or observations to the budget bill may participate in the hearing. You can participate by speaking or as a “simple assistant” as a listener. A Minute and a stenographic version are drawn up of each hearing, where everything said is reflected, material that is made available to the legislative body for its consideration in the face of the second reading session. Once the bill is approved or rejected, the versions of the hearings are available to the public on the Legislature’s Open Data Portal (Commissions section).

 

We leave you this information so that you can follow the debate process of the budget law 2022 in Córdoba

Contact

Nina Sibilla, ninasibilla@fundeps.org

 

Related note

ABC of the Public Budget in the provinces of Córdoba, Mendoza, Salta and Tucumán

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Questions and Answers on Access to Environmental Information

In the following guide you will find questions and answers about access to public environmental information and useful information to make requests to the State.

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Workshop: How to access public environmental information?

Aimed at organizations, assemblies, associations and interested people in general, on Friday, October 15 and 29 at 4:00 p.m. we will carry out two virtual meetings, which will aim to provide theoretical and practical tools on access to public environmental 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 first workshop will have as main speaker Laura Foradori, lawyer, researcher, specialist in Environmental Education and university professor. It will focus on the importance of access to public environmental information, its regulatory framework and the obligations of the State. In addition, there will be a space for dialogue and exchange of experiences with the people present.

The second workshop will have as speaker Ana Di Pangracio, lawyer, Counselor of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Deputy Executive Director of the Environment and Natural Resources Foundation (FARN). The talk will address the Escazú Agreement and the tools it provides to guarantee the right of access to public information as a fundamental component of an environmentally committed citizenry.

Throughout the cycle, practical activities will be carried out and tools will be provided to make requests for access to information on environmental matters, with subsequent support from Fundeps.

Registration is free and free through this form and you can participate in the full cycle or in each of the meetings individually.

I WANT TO REGISTER

Contact

Juan Bautista Lopez, juanbautistalopez@fundeps.org

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We provide general guidelines for the Yolanda Law at the provincial level.

In conjunction with Fundación TierraVida and Ecohouse Córdoba, we formulate contributions for the formulation of general guidelines for conducting training within the framework of the Yolanda Law.

“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 note addressed to the Secretary of the Environment of the Province of Córdoba, we presented guidelines for the design of the general guidelines within the framework of the Yolanda law. These guidelines allow directing the methodology and content that will be part of the training received by people who exercise public functions within the framework of the regulations.

The contributions focus mainly on those primary content, procedural and methodological, operational and epistemological issues. Each of the points provided, present the reasons why we believe that they should be taken into account for the purposes of an efficient application, which allows the appropriate approach in accordance with the objective of the law.

We trust that the participatory instances will enrich the guidelines, and consequently the trainings that are ultimately dictated. Likewise, it is valuable that those pillars on which the training is based enjoy legitimacy on the part of civil society organizations and citizens in general.

More information

Contact

Juan Bautista López, juanbautistalopez@fundeps.org

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Public purchases in pandemic 2021: less transparency and direct purchases continue

After the publication in March of the results of the survey “Public purchases in pandemic: 2020, the year of direct contracting and the lack of transparency”, Red Ruido adds to the investigation the first quarter of the year 2021.

“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”

Ruido is a federal network of communicators, specialists in open data and civil society organizations that was created to make visible issues of public interest related to the management of State resources, administrative transparency, corruption and access to information. From Fundeps we support its creation in an alliance Citizen Power and FOPEA.

In this new report, the question remains the same as in the first Noise survey: can citizens know how much the State paid for each product purchased to alleviate the pandemic?

The answer is not only the same —no—, but now it is worse: there was less information available to access data for the first quarter of 2021, in relation to what was surveyed in 2020. This is the main conclusion of the survey in 13 provinces of the country , plus the City of Buenos Aires and the Nation.

Highlights
● 82.3% of the hires in the first quarter of 2021 were made directly, according to the Noise survey in 14 Argentine provinces.
● Fewer transactions were registered than last year and there was also less data available: the index of access to information worsened.
● In many joint purchases (those that include several products) it is impossible to detect how much each province paid for each item.
● Santa Cruz was added to the provinces without data.
● A record-breaking purchase of ethyl alcohol was detected in Chaco: 1,900 pesos per liter.

Tenders, missing
The survey of public purchases related to the pandemic during 2020 had detected that 92% of the operations had been carried out directly. That index improved a little, but it is still very high: 82.3%.

The Decree of Necessity and Urgency 260/2020 that President Alberto Fernández signed on March 12, 2020 established the public emergency in health matters due to Covid-19, so that the contracting of goods and services that are carried out in this framework can be processed by direct route.

More than a year passed and the time to plan prevention increased, but the use of this shortcut to hire was not reduced.

Among the provinces with almost 100% direct purchases and / or awards are Salta, Entre Ríos and Santiago del Estero, while Mendoza is responsible for the drop in this general average, since it used the mechanism of bidding, auctions and / or open competitions in 49% of purchases. It was the province with the greatest improvement in relation to 2020, when that figure was just 13%.

Access to information

If the level of access to information in the first Noise survey (purchases in 2020) is compared with that of the first quarter of 2021, the situation worsened.
According to the index prepared (in which 1 implies total public access to data and 4, no access), the general average of access to information in 2020 had been 2.3. But from January to March 2021, it fell 0.3 points to 2.6.

This is so because not only did the three provinces that keep secret data and do not respond to access requests (Tucumán, Salta and Santiago del Estero) remain the same, this time Santa Fe (provides negligible information) and Santa Cruz joined (He did not respond to any request for information).

Booze through the roof
In the case of the prices of chinstraps, ambulances and ethyl alcohol, in the first quarter of 2021 there were far fewer purchases of these products than in 2020.
Wide gaps in the prices paid for chinstraps were maintained, and there were no purchases of ambulances.

In the case of ethyl alcohol, the record paid for this element appears in a purchase from Chaco: 1,900 pesos per liter. This arises in a purchase made on March 30, 2021 (order number 1,865) from Ande Servicios SRL, for which units of 200 milliliters (at 70%) were purchased at 380 pesos, for a total of 91,200 pesos. The figure represents up to 10 times the market value.

It is not possible to have more details of this operation, since the province of Chaco did not respond to any request for access from Ruido.

The other element that appears in some surveys is the rapid test kits to detect the virus. There is a wide range of prices for the same product that goes from the 170 pesos that CABA paid, up to the 715 pesos spent by Mendoza.

Access the full report and the analysis of each province here.

 

Ruido survey authors:

Mariela Arias (Santa Cruz), María Ester Romero (Buenos Aires, Tierra del Fuego and CABA), Yamile González (Formosa), Gabriela Sánchez (Mendoza), Bárbara Maidana (Chaco and Sante Fe), Juan Manuel González (Córdoba), Natalia Buiatti (Entre Ríos), Gonzalo Guzmán (Transparent Jumps), Luis María Ruiz (Tucumán), Sol Minoldo, Julieta Fantini, Andrés Vázquez, Cristian Pérez, Sergio Carreras and Edgardo Litvinoff.
Graphics: Diego Forti. Network design: María Pía Reynoso. Networks: Daniela Reynoso. Development: Walter Kanqui.

Ruido Communication Channels:

http://elruido.org/
https://twitter.com/RuidoRed
https://www.instagram.com/ruidored/
https://www.facebook.com/ruidored/

More information:
Public procurement in a pandemic: a year of direct contracting and lack of transparency

Contact:

Nina Sibilla, ninasibilla@fundeps.org