Civil Society Organizations demand expanding the scope of the Open Government Partnership in Mexico

The Partnership must strengthen the rule of law and guarantee respect of Human Rights

Mexico City, December 16, 2014. The civil society organizations that are part of the Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More in Mexico presented a proposal to the governing body of the Partnership in Mexico (the Tripartite Technical Secretariat) that aims to give new direction to the work of OGP in Mexico.

The proposal submitted on December 15, 2014 is a response to the political and social context that Mexico is currently immersed in, and requires that this global initiative supports the strengthening of the rule of law and guarantees a greater respect towards Human RightsAn essential part of open government includes protecting the sacred freedoms and rights of all citizens, including the most vulnerable groups, and holding those who violate human rights accountable. T....

The proposal presented by the civil society organizations to the Tripartite Technical Secretariat addressed the following actions:

• Include the commitments of the previous Action PlanAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... (2012) that require updating or are pending fulfillment into the current Action Plan (2015).
• Guarantee the strict fulfillment of the commitments reached in the 2015 Action Plan on security, justiceTo address barriers that prevent citizens from having their justice needs met, OGP participating governments are working to expand transparency, accountability, and inclusion into all systems of justi..., energyEnsuring universal access to sustainable, dependable, and affordable energy is critical to every aspect of prosperity. Increasing public oversight and transparency in the energy sector can help to ens... and mining.
• Summon other civil society organizations to participate in the civil society group of the Open Government Partnership.
• Immediately take the necessary steps to integrate new actions and commitments focused on significantly changing the life of citizens and the plenary exercise of their constitutional rights.

The construction of a new relationship between society and government requires the consolidation of the rule of law and the unrestricted respect for Human Rights. Hence, even when the 2012 and 2015 Action Plans are still relevant, they are no longer enough in the context that Mexico is currently immersed in.

The civil society organizations that promote OGP in Mexico believe it is necessary to strengthen the Partnership to be able to respond to the demands and needs of citizens. It is important to reaffirm that society requires transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More, accountability and citizen participation with a Human Rights perspective, and the Partnership has to be a vehicle to achieve these objectives.

Even though the 2015 Action Plan already contains commitments related to justice and security, the effort is outrun. It is indispensable to completely comply with what was agreed to, but it is also imperative to incorporate actions and commitments that, as well as guaranteeing transparency and accountability, they also guarantee respect for Human Rights, truth, access to justiceAccessible justice systems – both formal and informal – ensure that individuals and communities with legal needs know where to go for help, obtain the help they need, and move through a system tha... More, and enforcement of the law.

The proposal was analyzed in the Tripartite Technical Secretariat on December 15, and the following agreements were reached:

1. The Tripartite Technical Secretariat agreed to initiate the necessary activities to incorporate new actions and commitments immediately. The conceptual framework for achieving this will be agreed upon by the Secretariat before the end of 2014.
2. Integrate into a single Action Plan the lot of commitments of the current and previous Action Plans. The analysis of the validity of said commitments will be done by the IFAI and the civil society organizations.
3. Particular emphasis will be placed on the compliance to the commitments of the 2015 Action Plan related to citizen security, justice, energy and mining. In the current context, fulfillment of the following commitments is specially relevant and meaningful: a system of access to information for victims, a system for searching and locating detainees, a database for missing persons, and those specific to energy and extractive industriesApplying open government values of transparency, participation, and accountability to extractive industries can decrease corruption, safeguard community interests and needs, and support environmental ....
4. Increase the number of civil society organizations that participate in the Open Government Partnership. There will be an online application form where interested organizations can apply to participate in the in the Tripartite Technical Secretariat, in the followup of commitments, and the construction of new actions.
5. The Tripartite Technical Secretariat also agreed to start planning for the Global Summit to be held in Mexico in October 2015.