End of Commitment Report – To promote actions for the institutional strengthening of Public Policy Councils and Collegiate Boards in the City of São Paulo.

Name of Evaluator

Neusa Maria Bastos Fernandes dos Santos

Email

[email protected]

Member Name

São Paulo, Brazil

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... Title

Action plan – São Paulo, Brazil, 2021 – 2024

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 promote actions for the institutional strengthening of Public Policy Councils and Collegiate Boards in the City of São Paulo.

Title

To promote actions for the institutional strengthening of Public Policy Councils and Collegiate Boards in the City of São Paulo.

Action

The commitment is about institutionally strengthening the more than 30 types of public policy councils and collegia in the municipality of São Paulo, in order for them to become part of the policy-making process itself. It is aimed at promoting the strengthening and integration of all of them, but with two Milestones focused on the Municipal Participatory Council due to the possibility of its replacement by a new Council, called the

Problem

The commitment seeks to ensure that the public policy councils and collegiate bodies active in the municipality of São Paulo are strengthened so as to be effectively involved in the entire cycle of public policies.

1.1 What was the overall level of progress in the commitment implementation at the time of this assessment?

Complete

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The 3rd Open Government Action Plan for São Paulo, proposed after a dynamic 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..., resulted in 4 Commitments. Commitment 3 aims to strengthen Public Policy Councils and Boards in São Paulo, enhancing 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, and was anchored in 4 Milestones:

3.1 Implement annual meetings of territorial councils, involving sub-prefectures, sub-prefects, interlocutors, and other necessary actors.
3.2 Redesign the “Open Dialogue” project for periodic, open meetings to monitor and provide regionalized accountability for sectoral policies in Sub-prefectures.
3.3 Propose training and a practical manual for Participatory Municipal Councillors (CPM) on their duties, public administration, and key planning and monitoring tools.
3.4 Design a communication mechanism integrating information on councils and collegiate bodies, including agendas, consultations, electionsImproving transparency in elections and maintaining the independence of electoral commissions is vital for promoting trust in the electoral system, preventing electoral fraud, and upholding the democr... More, contacts, repositories, and monitoring platforms, respecting legal limits.

All 27 action lines were achieved.

Provide evidence that supports and justifies your answer:

Sao Paulo’s Third Open Government Action Plan

1.2 Describe the main external or internal factors that impacted implementation of this commitment and how they were addressed (or not).

The main external and internal factors that impacted the implementation of Commitment 3 can be listed as:
High commitment and participation of the different actors from Civil Society (Instituto de Governo Aberto, COLAB-USP and Observatório Social do Brasil – SP) and the Public Authorities: Executive Secretariat for Management, General Controller of the Municipality and Open Government Coordination.
Alignment of Commitment 3 with Open Government values such as transparency, public participationGiving citizens opportunities to provide input into government decision-making leads to more effective governance, improved public service delivery, and more equitable outcomes. Technical specificatio..., and/or public accountabilityAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, public accountability occurs when ”rules, regulations, and mechanisms in place call upon government actors to justify their actions, act upon criticisms ... More as defined by the Open Government declarationThe Open Government Declaration is the declaration of commitment to upholding the principles of open and transparent government, approved by the founding countries of OGP in 2011. Countries are requir... and the OGP governance articles.
The potential of Commitment 3 to generate significant impacts such as
for example:
Holding the 1st and 2nd São Paulo Intercouncil Forum, with territorial action divided into macro-regions.
Training course for sub-municipal councilors (Konrad Adenauer Foundation)
Preparation of the Practical Manual for Participating Municipal Councillors (CPM), on topics related to their attributions, the functioning of public administration, and its main monitoring and planning instruments.

1.3 Was the commitment implemented as originally planned?

Most of the commitment milestones were implemented as planned

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The systematization and template of Commitment 3 show the deliveries made to support the 29 (twenty-nine) planned action lines for each of the 4 milestones of Commitment 3. The main highlights are listed below:
– Outline of suggestions for the Regionalized Intercouncil Forum in consultation with 32 subprefectures and with reports on the results.
– Report on the process justifying the decisions of Civil Society and the Civil Society Office.

Provide evidence for your answer:

Commitment no.3 – Evidence

2.1.1. – Did the government disclose more information; improve the quality of the information (new or existing); improve the value of the information; improve the channels to disclose or request information or improve accessibility to information?

Yes

Degree of result:

Major

Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.

Commitment 3 focuses on promoting actions to institutionally strengthen public policy councils and committees in the city of São Paulo. Through this Commitment, the government has disseminated more information, improved the quality of the information (new or existing), improved the value of the information, improved the
channels for disseminating or requesting information, and improved accessibility to information. The following action steps stand out:
Action step 3.2.1. Consult the population through Participate More (Participe Mais) on the possibilities for the project in 2022.
Action step 3.2.2. Benchmarking with government and civil society managers who have already experimented with regionalized accountability strategies in Brazil.
Action step 3.2.3. Revisit the design of the “Open Dialogue” project, together with the Multi-Stakeholder ForumRegular dialogue between government and civil society is a core element of OGP participation. It builds trust, promotes joint problem-solving, and empowers civil society to influence the design, imple... and the Intersecretarial Open Government Committee (CIGA).
Action step 3.2.4. Map the Secretariats/plans that already demand feedback from the Sub-prefectures (e.g. Programa de Metas, Plano de Ação dos Objetivos do Desenvolvimento Sustentável – ODS, etc.)
Action step 3.2.5. Propose a pilot project.
Action step 3.2.6. Implement the Pilot according to the agreed proposal
Action step 3.2.7. Evaluate the implementation of the Pilot and apply preventive measures and possible improvements with the Sub-prefectures.
Action step 3.2.8. Realize the redesigned project

Provide evidence for your answer:

Open Dialogue – Results of Debates 2021-2022

2.1.2. – Did the government create new opportunities to seek feedback from citizens/enable participation inform or influence decisions; improve existing channels or spaces to seek feedback from citizens/enable participation/ inform or influence decisions; create or improve capabilities in the government or the public aimed to improve how the government seeks feedback from citizens/enables participation/ or allows for the public to inform or influence decisions?

Yes

Degree of result:

Major

Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.

Through Commitment 3, the government has created new opportunities for citizen feedback to inform and influence decisions, improved existing channels for citizen feedback, and enhanced capacities in government and the public to improve citizen feedback.

Action steps delivered:
Action step 3.3.1. Offering training on Open Government.
Action step 3.3.2. Offering training on state structure and functioning
Action step 3.3.3. Offering training on public budgeting and municipal management.
Action step 3.3.4. Offering training on the Sustainable Development GoalsOGP countries are experimenting with open government innovations to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 16+ which includes peaceful, just and inclusive societies....
Action step 3.3.5. Offering training on urban planning instruments.
Action step 3.3.6. Offering training on Health and/or Social Assistance.
Action step 3.3.7. Provide training on the SP156 Portal.
Action step 3.3.8. Offer training on how to participate in the Citizens’ Budget in Participe Mais.
Action step 3.3.9. Social Control of the Municipal Public Budget.
Action step 3.3.10. Offer training on the Access to Information Act – a tool for social control.
Action step 3.3.11. Offer training on internal and external control bodies, such as the Public Prosecutor’s Office, ombudsmen’s offices, etc.
Action step 3.3.12. Prepare and make available a practical manual on the same topics as the training courses that will be offered.
Action step 3.3.13. Social Control of the Municipal Public Budget.

Provide evidence for your answer:

6th Edition of the Open Government Agents Program

2.1.3 Did the government create or improve channels, opportunities or capabilities to hold officials answerable to their actions?

Yes

Degree of result:

Major

Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.

Through Commitment 3, the government has improved channels, opportunities, and capacities to hold employees accountable for their actions through the following lines of action:
Action step 3.1.1 Present the commitment to strengthen the councils to the 32 subprefeitos to engage the Subprefectures.
Action step 3.1.2 Hold quarterly meetings to monitor the activities and functioning of the councils with Subprefeitos and interlocutors to ensure that the annual meetings are held and are effective.
Action step 3.1.3 Organize the 1st annual meeting of territorial social participation councils, divided by macro-region.
Action step 3.1.4 Organize the 2nd annual meeting of territorial social participation councils, divided by macro-region.

Provide evidence for your answer:

Official Gazette of the City of São Paulo

2.2 Did the commitment address the public policy problem that it intended to address as described in the action plan?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

Commitment 3, part of the 3rd Open Government Plan, promotes transparency, accountability, 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 innovation in São Paulo City Hall (PMSP). PMSP has 28 secretariats, 32 sub-prefectures, and 14 municipalities and aims to manage knowledge of innovative practices for 120,000+ civil servants.

The Open Government Agents Program fosters transparency, integrity, participation, and innovation, disseminating open government concepts locally and globally. It is also part of Team Brazil, linked to the Comptroller General’s Office, which supports better public management and anti-corruption efforts. It is a result of the action step “3.1: carry out training and capacity buildingEnhancing the skills, abilities, and processes of public servants, civil society, and citizens is essential to achieving long-lasting results in opening government. Technical specifications: Set of ac... for councilors”.

Milestone 3.4: Design a mechanism integrating council information, including agendas, elections, contacts, and repositories, respecting legal limits.
Action step 3.4.1: Develop a practical manual and map the needs for this mechanism, ensuring accessibility and transparency.

Provide evidence for your answer:

Mapping Social Participation Councils

3. Provide at least one lesson or reflection relating to the implementation of this commitment. It can be the identification of key barriers to implementation, an unexpected help/hindrance, recommendations for future commitments, or if the commitment should be taken forward to the next action plan.

1. The need to centralize all information about Councils on a single platform.
2. The engagement of 32 subprefectures in the São Paulo Intercouncil Forum
(FISP) was a very effective voluntary action in partnership with the academic
community, which provided the logistics and space to hold the two events: FISP I – Nov/2023 and FISP II – May/2024.
3. Open dialog activity is recommended for the 4th Action Plan with one of its co-created Commitments.
4. Highlight the results of the participatory workshop with municipal councillors, which included the organization of members of the public authorities (Open Government Coordination and Social Participation Coordination) and Civil Society (Instituto Prospectiva).
5. Good Recommendations for São Paulo Councillors’ Forums with an evaluation and proposal of challenges to be solved by the Forums and aligned with 3 axes:
Isolation: Lack of incentives, spaces, and structure
Mismatch: Lack of tools and resources
Disarticulation: more operational aspects resulting from the two previous axes.