Action plan – Salcedo, Dominican Republic, 2023 – 2024

At-a-Glance

Duration

May 2024

Date Submitted

16th February 2023

Foreword(s)

The municipality of Salcedo through the different municipal administrations has shown in its history a marked democratic vocation. A democratic and libertarian vocation demonstrated in the resistance to foreign expositions, and for being the land of the Mirabal Sisters, a symbol of the country’s liberation from dictatorship. More recently, in the nineties, the Council of Municipalities, composed of representatives of civil society, was instituted as a body to monitor municipal policies and budgets. During the same period, the Project for the Strengthening of Democratic Initiatives was developed to strengthen the municipality’s social organizations. In 2001, a broad participatory process was carried out within the framework of the Program for Strengthening the Provinces of the Northeastern Region, which was financed by the Inter-American Development Bank through which one of the first participatory budget trials was carried out. In recent municipal administrations, the Salcedo City Council has consistently promoted the practice of participatory budgeting within the framework of the Law of Municipalities, achieving significant progress and recognition at the national level. The current municipal authorities have decided, with the support of the General Directorate of Ethics and Government Integrity, to deepen the spaces for participation and 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 through participation in the Open Government Initiative (OGP), which promotes the broadest participation of civil society in the definition and monitoring of national and local government policies. In this First OGP Action Plan we intend to assume commitments in areas that traditionally have not been promoted by the country’s municipal authorities, especially in intermediate municipalities such as ours: – Green areas and climate resilience – Transit, viability, and urban planning – 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... – Social participation

Open Government Challenges, Opportunities and Strategic Vision

This subsection details the Open Government Strategic Vision in your local area that should guide the commitments for the action plan period.

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

The Action Plan 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... has introduced 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 beyond the practice of participatory budgeting, which has been limited to the identification of some consensual community works. The co-creation process has led to the formulation of municipal policies and the identification of priority actions for their implementation. In a long-term vision, the application of Open Government represents the possibility for current and future local authorities to move from the individual, albeit consensual, actions, a strategic vision, to the establishment of local policies with the support of the citizenry. In this sense, specific areas of action have been identified: 1. Spatial planning: as a participatory and sustainable definition of the use of the territory as a common good, within a framework of clear rules and transparency. 2. Inclusion: a constant effort to include citizens in decision-making processes, especially those sectors with the greatest unmet needs. Participation: understood as citizen 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... and as an effort by the authorities to maintain a permanent two-way communication, where citizens are permanently informed of the decisions of local authorities and where there are spaces for the formulation of collective policies.

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

With open government values, it has been possible to strengthen the participation bodies established by law, such as the Municipal Development Council, which has been expanded with greater participation, as well as the strengthening of the Municipal Council as the legislative and regulatory body of the Municipal Council.

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

In the first instance, the definition of land use must be based on the broadest possible social and community participation, proposing clear and consensual rules that allow for maximum transparency in public management. Participation is the other major challenge, as it implies strengthening civil society organizations, especially those of a territorial nature and those representing excluded sectors, with special attention to women, the elderly, the disabled, and at-risk populations. On the other hand, it is also necessary to strengthen participatory bodies such as open councils, community councils, and municipal development councils. The above should be complemented with increasing use of the media/information, from press and radio, newsletters, and social web.

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

Based on the long-term vision, we have identified the following medium-term objectives: – Land use plan implemented – Municipal Development Plan consolidated in a participatory manner. – Full institutionalization of the Municipal Development Councils. – Consolidation of grassroots citizen organizations – Institutionalization of instruments of social control and inter-institutional collaboration to promote the values of Open Government.

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

Our first Action Plan contributes to broadening the scope of open government to the definition of local policies and the identification of actions that are consistent with them, and that are measurable by citizens in a framework of accountability and transparency. On the other hand, the proposed actions allow for consolidating and making transparent the relations between local government bodies and the Central Government in a framework of synergy and collaboration, especially with regard to the territorialization of policies in the context of the new land management law. . The action plan will contribute to strengthening local partnerships between the public sector, social organizations, and private and cooperative enterprises, thus ensuring greater political continuity and social cohesion. With this action plan, we intend to be an element of inspiration and innovation in our regional and national context, promoting good practices and broadening the debate on transparency, accountability, and participation.

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

The local authorities have assumed as a fundamental value of the current management the ethical and transparent action, based on citizen participation and transparency, evidenced through the SISMAP platform (Municipal Public Administration Monitoring System (SISMAP) and the implementation of mechanisms for the monitoring of the municipal public administration) and the implementation of mechanisms to ensure that the main actions of the administration, to be effective, require the widest social participation, especially in land use planning, both in urban and rural areas.

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.

• City Hall
• Urban Planning Directorate
• – Directorate of Community Participation

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

– A municipal resolution was passed by the Board of Aldermen for the City Council to assume the obligations associated with the approval of the commitments. – The costs related to the Open Government commitments will be considered in the municipal budget. – Action plan commitments will be maintained in the annual management objectives. – Formalize the implementation of the Action Plan through a Municipal resolution. – Follow-up is formalized through a municipal resolution. – Sectoral working groups are created that include representatives of central government institutions.

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.

The co-creation process has been developed in a context aimed at strengthening the institutional bodies provided for by the Law. In the first instance, the Municipal Council issued a resolution to approve the participation of the co-creation bodies and the methodology and work schedule. Based on this, the expanded Municipal Development Council has met for the first identification of the issues and their analysis. Municipal assemblies have been held in the different urban and rural sectors, bringing together the leaders of each locality and neighborhood councils to identify the problems and possible solutions to the different issues. From this analysis, the OGP team, after systematizing it, has generated a selection of the problems most identified in the municipal assemblies. A municipal forum was convened with more than a hundred participants from different sectors, where priority actions were democratically selected. Finally, in the thematic roundtables, through an analysis based on the problem tree, actions are identified and designed, and committed to being developed at the municipal level.

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

In the Enlarged Municipal Development Council, representatives of the Provincial Office for the Development of Women for the genderOGP participating governments are bringing gender perspectives to popular policy areas, ensuring diversity in participatory processes, and specifically targeting gender gaps in policies to address gov... issue, of the Center for Attention to Diversity for the disability issue, representatives of the House of the Elderly for the participation of the elderly and the House of 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 the High School for the youth representation. In addition, we ensure equitable participation of the different territorial sectors, especially those characterized by greater poverty.

Who participated in these spaces?

– Older Adults – Women – Youth – Students – Social Actors – Cooperative Movement – Churches – Social Actors

How many groups participated in these spaces?

23

How many public-facing meetings were held in the co-creation process?

10

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

The parties willing to participate in the co-creation of this first action plan will continue to collaborate and be informed through the organizations of the territory to be strengthened (Neighborhood Councils) and Community Development Councils, as well as through the expanded Municipal Development Council, which will seek to expand community participation.

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

The monitoring body is Roberto José González Viña, with a degree in Economics (UASD) and a Diploma in Project Formulation and Evaluation (IDB/PUCMM). He also obtained a Certificate of Specialization in the Selection, Design, Evaluation, and Implementation of Policies, Programs, and Projects (University of Pittsburgh) and a Postgraduate Degree in Forestry Sciences (Cum Laude) (UNPHU). He holds a Master’s Degree in International Trade and Finance (University of Barcelona), as well as Postgraduate Degrees in Foreign Trade, International Economics, and International Finance. For more than 30 years he has been teaching in master’s programs at INTEC (Engineering Project Management), UNIBE (Projects I and II), UASD (Master in International Business and Economic Relations), and at PUCMM, both in master’s and undergraduate programs.

Provide the contact details for the independent monitoring body.

• Roberto Gonzalez Viña, Lic., rj440@hotmail.com

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

Progress in the implementation of the commitments will be presented at meetings of the expanded Municipal Development Council, which meets quarterly. In addition, community organizations will be informed through a monthly newsletter and the website: https://ayuntamientosalcedo.gob.do/.

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

Quarterly reports will be prepared based on physical and budgetary progress, as well as the effectiveness of the actions carried out.

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

The results of the monitoring will be shared through the site: https://ayuntamientosalcedo.gob.do/.

Endorsement from Non-Governmental Stakeholders

• Linabel Gonzalez, directora, Oficina Provincial de la Mujer
• José Alberto Nuñez, Presidente, Socedad Ecologica
• Adonis Almanzar, Presidente, Rotary
• Jose Tabar, Presidente, Lions Club
• Nathalia Torres, Coordinadora, Casa de a Juventud
• Modesto Abreu, Presidente, Red Social Comunitaria
• Antonio Valerio, Presidente, Asociacion de Juntas de Vecinos
• Yasmin de la Cruz, Presidente, Casa Tercera Edad
• Elena Gonzalez, Coordinadora, Centro Atención a la Diversidad
• Clara Luz García, Coordinadora, Centro Juridico para la Mujer
• Miguel angel Almanzar, Miembro, Asociacion para el desarrollo Salcedo
• Miguel Mercado, Presidente, Cnsejo Municipal desarrollo
• Rita Pantaleon, Presidente, Junta de Vecinos Conuco
• Plinio Antonio Baez, Presidente, Cooperativa la Unión
• José Anibal García, Presidente, Oficina Técnica Provincial