Action plan – Aragón, Spain, 2024 – 2026

At-a-Glance

Duration

May 2027

Date Submitted

26th November 2024

Foreword(s)

It is an honor to present the second Open Government of Aragon Action Plan, an initiative that reaffirms our commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... to the principles of transparency, citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More, and collaboration in the framework 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 (OGP). This plan reflects our ambitionAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should “stretch government practice beyond its current baseline with respect to key areas of open government.” Ambition captures the po... to consolidate Aragon as a leading example in the adoption of open government practices, promoting a public administration that is more accessible and closer to the citizens.

Based on collaboration with citizens, we have identified three key areas aligned with Aragonese priorities and regional characteristics: support for older persons, clear communication and assistance for citizens, and addressing challenges in rural areas and depopulation. Tackling these issues requires the development, promotion, and consolidation of targeted programs in these priority areas.

The plan’s preparation transcended traditional institutional approaches, involving active co-creation with diverse stakeholders, including civil servants, third-sector representatives, citizens’ organizations, academia, and the private sectorGovernments are working to open private sector practices as well — including through beneficial ownership transparency, open contracting, and regulating environmental standards. Technical specificat.... Through public consultations and collaborative calls, this inclusive process ensured the plan aligned with citizens’ needs and expectations, laying a solid foundation for effective implementation.

The success of this plan depends on the collaboration and commitment of all stakeholders. We are confident that these partnerships will strengthen over time. To ensure accountability and continuous improvement, we have established monitoring and evaluation mechanisms that promote transparent and efficient execution.

We profoundly thank everyone who contributed to the formulation of this plan and repeat our invitation to citizens to keep on participating actively in its implementation. Together we can make sure that Aragon becomes an example of good governance and that it responds efficiently to present and future challenges.

Open Government Challenges, Opportunities and Strategic Vision

What is the long-term vision for open government in your context and jurisdiction?

The General Directorate for Institutional Relations, External Action, and Transparency of the Government of Aragon oversees Open Government in citizen participation, social innovation, and transparency through the Transparency Service and the Citizens’ Participation and Social Innovation Service. Its work centers on three key axes:

• Transparency and the right to know. Right to ask the government, to receive a response, to access and use data, to learn about the Government Plan, and to monitor its progress.
• Participation and the right to decide. Right to express opinions, to suggest improvements for laws or plans, to influence public policies.
• Social innovation and the right to do. Right to co-create with the government, engage in community projects, experiment, learn from attempts, and embrace mistakes.

These axes converge in the Laboratorio de Aragón Gobierno Abierto (LAAAB) [Aragon Open Government Lab], a democratic innovation lab that serves as a participation network, innovation community, an ecosystem of projects and collectives and bridge between administration and citizens, offering physical and virtual spaces for open and collaborative initiatives.

What are the achievements in open government to date (for example, recent open government reforms)?

The Government of Aragon was a pioneer in 2008 when it placed Open Government on the political agenda by creating the General Directorate for Citizen Participation. Progress continued with the launch of the Open DataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici... Aragon portal in 2012, the Aragonese Law on Transparency and Citizen Participation in 2015, and the Aragonese Laws on Public Ethics and Integrity and Open Accounts in 2017.

In 2018, the Laboratorio de Aragón Gobierno Abierto (LAAAB) [Aragon Open Government Lab] was established to co-create public policies. That same year, the Aragon Gobierno Abierto website was launched to support digital governanceAs evolving technologies present new opportunities for governments and citizens to advance openness and accountability, OGP participating governments are working to create policies that deal with the ..., and the Collaborative Design of Public Services program began, engaging civil servants and citizens through design thinking methodologies.

Six years later, LAAAB is recognized globally, inspiring institutions worldwide through initiatives such as Visual Gob, CVOL, Hola, Open Kids, La Compañía, Aspasia, and Frena la Curva [Flatten the Curve], the latter engaging over 300 organizations across 20 countries during the pandemic.

It is worth highlighting that in order to facilitate the participation of collectives with reading comprehension difficulties, in 2019, we developed – in collaboration with Plena Inclusión Aragón – the Easy Government project, creating better services and public policies that are universally accessible. This program was awarded the best European regional initiative in 2023 by the Open Government Partnership.

What are the current challenges/areas for improvement in open government that the jurisdiction wishes to tackle?

We aim to keep building bridges with citizens to better meet their needs while observing and valuing the territory’s diversity. For communities of older persons, the aim is to accelerate projects geared towards improving their well-being and to develop a program of activities that increases their sense of community and contributes to improving public services that are more useful and accessible for this collective. 

Easy reading and clear communication prioritize the adaptation of legal texts to accessible language and to improve the user experience on transparency portals, therefore guaranteeing the right to understand. 

With regard to the decentralization of LAAAB, the idea is to transfer activities to rural areas to tackle depopulation and build citizen participation throughout Aragon, therefore improving territorial cohesion and implementing open government.

What are the medium-term open government goals that the government wants to achieve?

Increasing the participation of vulnerable collectives, such as youthRecognizing that investing in youth means investing in a better future, OGP participating governments are creating meaningful opportunities for youth to participate in government processes. Technical ... and migrants is a key objective. An additional aim is to facilitate the incorporation of unorganized citizenship in government processes, promoting non-professional participation. Furthermore, the intention is to keep advancing with citizen participation and gender-sensitive policy, guaranteeing the visibility of women in public affairs. These objectives target the creation of a more inclusive and representative environment, where all of the voices, particularly those that are traditionally marginalized, are heard and considered when making decisions.

How does this action plan contribute to achieve the Open Government Strategic Vision?

The three commitments assumed in this action plan relate directly to the three axes that inform our strategic vision of open government:

• Transparency and the Right to Know: easy reading, clear communication, and Citizens’ support service.
• Participation and the Right to Decide: Older Persons Community Commitment.
• Social Innovation and the Right to Do: LAAAB decentralization, rural world, and depopulation commitment.

How does the open government strategic vision contribute to the accomplishment of the current administration’s overall policy goals?

The strategic vision of the open government of Aragon contributes substantially to the general objectives of the current administration by promoting a more inclusive, participatory, and cohesive society. The strengthening of communities of older persons with projects such as La Compañía improves their well-being and access to public services, therefore aligning with inclusionOGP participating governments are working to create governments that truly serve all people. Commitments in this area may address persons with disabilities, women and girls, lesbian, gay, bisexual, tr... and care policies. Easy reading and clear communication ensure that all citizens can understand and access government information, promoting transparency and administrative efficiency. Lastly, the decentralization of LAAAB and work with underrepresented collectives strengthen citizen participation and territorial cohesion, and tackle challenges such as depopulation and multicultural integration, reinforcing the legitimacy and proximity of the government.

Engagement and Coordination in the Open Government Strategic Vision and OGP Action Plan

Please list the lead institutions responsible for the implementation of this OGP action plan.

• General Directorate for Institutional Relations, External Action and Transparency of the Government
• General Directorate of Older Persons
• Plena Inclusión Aragón
• Young Rural Revitalizers

What kind of institutional arrangements are in place to coordinate between government agencies and departments to implement the OGP action plan?

There are no initial plans to enter into agreements to coordinate the implementation of the Action Plan. Instead, the idea is to base the work on mutual trust and full transparency in the proceedings. However, periodic follow-up meetings will be held with all members of the group in charge, observing the rules governing the convening and management of the associated bodies of the Government of Aragon. In addition, these agents will actively participate in the promotion of projects related to their area of work. Likewise, all the information on the implementation of the Plan will be available on our platform. 

What kind of spaces have you used or created to enable the collaboration between government and civil society in the co-creation and implementation of this action plan? Mention both offline and online spaces.

A group has been established that will be in charge of the Action Plan, composed of representatives from government, non-governmental organizations, and other civil society sectors. Meetings have taken place with this group online and in person, and there have been ongoing communications electronically. Citizens were invited to participate in an informative session online about the process, to vote for the possible strategic axes of the Action Plan by means of an internet survey, and to contribute to in-person working groups to develop specific and measurable commitments based on the most backed axes, also offering their perspective on each of them. Experts from government and civil society have also been invited to participate in these working groups. Lastly, all those participating have had the opportunity to make contributions to the conclusions of the session remotely and will be able to validate the Action Plan draft. 

What measures did you take to ensure diversity of representation (including vulnerable or marginalized populations) in these spaces?

The group in charge was made up with the participation of representatives from different collectives and organizations that work with people in situations of vulnerability and marginalization. The inclusion of these groups has been a central element in all of the strategic axes of the Action Plan and these stakeholders have played an active role in all of the co-creation stages. 

Furthermore, people belonging to these collectives were directly invited to participate in the online information session and in the working groups, both from organized and unorganized citizenship.

Lastly, all of the participation spaces linked to this process, online and in person, were designed to be fully accessible for persons with disabilities or with reading comprehension difficulties.

Who participated in these spaces?

• Government institutions
• Local development agencies
• Academic institutions
• Other educational institutions
• Foundations
• Federations
• Associations 
• NGOs and social entities
• Cooperatives
• Companies
• Local action groups
• National police force
• Individual citizens

How many groups participated in these spaces?

28

How many public-facing meetings were held in the co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive...?

6

How will government and non-governmental stakeholders continue to collaborate through the implementation of the action plan?

The Government of Aragon has a close relationship with all of its stakeholders. During the implementation of the action plan, we will continue to collaborate by managing regular channels of communication, organizing periodic follow-up meetings, and strengthening mutual trust. The experience of both sectors will be made the most of, and transparency will be guaranteed in all processes. The ongoing commitment by means of joint initiatives and shared responsibilities will be essential for achieving sustainable results and effectively tackling social challenges.

In addition, in some cases, the relationships are formalized by means of contracts, as is the case of Easy Government. In other cases, such as the collaboration with Plena Inclusión Aragón, they are structured informally and through an indirect grant for the “Accessible Spaces” project, which is dependent on annual funding. Depending on the nature of the projects, work will continue by means of informal relationships or by signing agreements in the form of conventions, contracts, or competitive grants to meet the Open Government Plan objectives.

Please describe the independent Monitoring Body you have identified for this plan.

Government, Administration and Public Policies Research Group (Grupo de Investigación en Gobierno, Administración y Políticas Públicas (GIGAPP))

Provide the contact details for the independent monitoring body.

• César Nicandro Cruz Rubio, Professor, Researcher and Member of the International Panel of Experts of the IRM- OGP, cesar.cruz.rubio@gigapp.org

What types of activities will you have in place to discuss progress on commitments with stakeholders?

Meetings online and in person, working groups, promotion of collaborative projects, telematic communications and newsletters, and the constant updating of accountability tools of the Government of Aragon (Transparency portal, VisualGob). Additionally, we will promote the ‘OGP Cafés,’ biannual meetings where key stakeholders will share their progress and engage in joint discussions on the advancement of the strategic lines of the Action Plan.

How will you regularly check in on progress with implementing agencies?

Periodic meetings will be held, and communication channels will be kept open with the agencies in charge of the implementation to regularly verify the progress. These meetings will make it possible to provide updates on the milestones reached, tackle any challenges encountered, and adjust strategies as necessary. Transparency in the reporting of data will be fundamental to continuously evaluate performance in relation to the objectives established. In addition, the periodic reviews will offer opportunities to celebrate achievements, gather feedback, and redirect efforts to maintain the impetus and achieve successful results in due time.

How will you share the results of your monitoring efforts with the public?

By means of social media, portals, and websites linked to the General Directorate for Institutional Relations, External Action, and Transparency of the Government of Aragon. In addition, two public feedback sessions are planned. One will take place at the start of the process when the Action Plan will be presented and another at the end of the process to share the results obtained and the final evaluation report.

Endorsement from Non-Governmental Stakeholders

• Nieves Campillo, Deputy Director, AST
• Cynthia Nale, Partner – Technical Advisor, Digital +60
• Elisa Barrera, Technical Advisor, Plena Inclusión Aragón
• Angeles Cepero, DFA Technical Advisor, DFA – CERMI
• Sara Cortes, Coordinator, Jóvenes dinamizadores rurales
• Silvia Benedí, Rural Development Technical Advisor, ADRI Jiloca – Gallocanta
• Enrique Cebrián, Professor and researcher, UNIZAR

Commitments:

• Supporting older persons through participatory and innovative measures.
• Decentralization of LAAAB: boosting relationship with the rural world and addressing depopulation.
• Easy reading, clear communication, and citizens support service for marginalized groups.

Action Plan Timeline on the Arágon Government Website