We participate in Argentina Abierta
On May 31, the Open Argentina Forum took place in the City of Mendoza. It is a space for debate that takes place annually since 2016 and proposes the exchange of ideas and experiences around the theme of open government. In the 2018 edition, FUNDEPS participated in a panel on sustainable development, open government and natural resources.
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Argentina Abierta was conceived as a space that brings together students, journalists, public officials, entrepreneurs, civil society organizations and anyone willing to participate. It was designed to exchange initiatives that promote the creation of modern, inclusive and sustainable public policies.
The goal is for government teams and citizens to share experiences, develop their ideas and knowledge, listen to opinions and discuss transparency, accountability, new technologies, public innovation and open data.
It is a national forum to discuss open government policies that encourage issues of transparency in the public sector, citizen participation and collaboration in modernization policies. On May 31, the third edition was held. Last year was made in Córdoba and this year was held in Mendoza. This last province, together with Córdoba and Buenos Aires, has been at the forefront of the implementation of policies with these characteristics.
Going around the event a bit …
In the 2018 edition, Argentina Abierta lasted only one day, unlike previous years when the event was longer. However, that time was enough to include panels of the most diverse and comprehensive in terms of the thematic axes of open government: transparency, participation and collaboration.
There was discussion about access to public information and publication of data, open academy and opening in the legislative and judicial powers. Likewise, the event counted with the presence of conversations regarding the application of open government policies at the subnational level and for this were present representatives of the governments of the City of Mendoza, City of Godoy Cruz, City of Córdoba, City of Buenos Aires , Province of Mendoza, Province of Córdoba, Province of Buenos Aires, Province of Santa Fe; among other relevant actors.
Likewise, it is necessary to highlight the presence of civil society organizations, who not only supported the concretion and realization of the event (Nuestra Mendoza and CLADH), but also actively participated in the panels and discussions with public officials. This was the case of FUNDEPS, who was participating in a panel specifically related to issues of open government, sustainable development and natural resources. Said panel was also composed of representatives of the Ministry of Energy and Mining of the Nation.
Part of the innovation proposed by this forum is given by the incorporation of new dynamics for the debate. Particularly, and as regards the issues of open government, innovation and e-government, the LABS are positioned as an alternative that allows to discuss and reach solutions at the moment. During this edition of Argentina Abierta, labs were held to discuss budget issues, citizen participation, security and data.
What the Forum left us …
In this event 9 provinces, 6 countries and more than 50 organizations and institutions participated. 12 panels were carried out, 24 hall talks and more than 900 people were present. During that day, the community of people dedicated to open government debated and shared experiences to improve public management, make it more transparent and close to citizens. From FUNDEPS we appreciate the fact that we have been able to take part and consider the discussions on these issues to be substantial.
Author / contact
Agustina Palencia – agustinapalencia@fundeps.org