Inception Report – Action plan – Córdoba (City), Argentina, 2021 – 2023
Overview
Name of Evaluator
Manuela Rossi
Member
Córdoba (City), Argentina
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...
Section 1.
Compliance with
co-creation requirements
1.1 Does a forum exist?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The Municipality of Cordoba formulated 3 commitments in the OGP Local Action Plan, one of which is presented in collaboration with the Province of Cordoba’s own plan. For the commitments exclusive to the Municipality, forums were created in the form of workshops with the participation of various members of civil society, with an introduction to the Local OGP Program, and whose participants were consulted on specific aspects of the reality of the city of Cordoba. Altogether with them and thanks to their contributions with diverse perspectives, the Action Plan was formulated with their commitments.
Provide evidence for your answer:
- 1st Workshop Municipality of Cordoba – Final Report
- 2nd Workshop Municipality of Cordoba – Final Report
1.2 Is the forum multi-stakeholder?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The multi-stakeholder forum created for the Open Government Program of the Municipality of Cordoba consisted of workshops where several chambers of the city, such as CEDUC, CAMMEC, and CIIECCA, and several universities, such as UPC, Catholic University of Cordoba, Siglo 21 and Blas Pascal, made their contributions. It also counted the participation of civil society organizations, government representatives, as well as NGOs of the city. Some of them are Junior Achievement Córdoba, Global Shapers Córdoba, Red Ciudadana Nuestra Córdoba, Grupo Proaco, Apyme Córdoba, Adiac, IERAL among many others.
Provide evidence for your answer:
1.3 Does the forum hold at least one meeting with civil society and non-governmental stakeholders during the co-creation of the action plan?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
During the development process of the Open Government Program, meetings were held with various civil society organizations and citizens, who presented their ideas, proposals, and improvements for the co-creation of the OGP. These meetings were held in two modalities, one of them in person on May 12, 2021, while the second took place on the Google Meet platform on June 3 of the same year. These meetings were attended by representatives of different organizations and local institutions of the city. These workshops were carried out through agile methods, with challenges and slogans on aspects such as digitalization in the interaction between citizens and the municipality; and the degree of satisfaction in the payment of taxes.
Provide evidence for your answer:
- 1st Workshop Municipality of Cordoba – Final Report
- 2nd Workshop Municipality of Cordoba – Final Report
1.4 Has the action plan been endorsed by the stakeholders of the forum or steering committeeThe Steering Committee is OGP’s executive decision-making body. Its role is to develop, promote and safeguard OGP’s values, principles and interests; establish OGP’s core ideas, policies, and ru.../group?
Unclear
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
After verifying the list of individuals participating in the action plan, it was found that there was a lack of endorsements given by the parties to approve the plan before it was sent to the OGP agency. Although the association CIPPEC worked together with the Municipality in the validation of the methodology to be followed in the conformation and development of the workshop-workshops, as well as in the validation and acceptance of the commitments to be followed, the other actors did not ratify their approval on the content of the Program and its final version. Therefore, it is suggested to have a document expressing the formal support of the participants of 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..., so that the determined action plan is certainly an agreement among the multiple parties that formed it.
Section 2.
Recommended practices
in co-creation
2.1 Does the government maintain a Local OGP website or webpage on a government website where information on the OGP Local process (co-creation and implementation) is proactively published?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Information concerning the development of the OGP Local program can be found on the websites of the municipal government of Cordoba, as well as on the provincial government’s website. Detailed information on the Open Government program process, its Action Plan, commitments and background is available there. The links to the known websites are easy to access, clear, and intuitive. At the same time, these sites do not have access barriers (password, credential, user), so the general public can access them. These web pages also provide information on the establishment of forums, citizen and government participation, the definition and implementation of OGP commitments, along with their linkage to OGP values.
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
2.2 Did the government provide information to stakeholders in advance to facilitate informed and prepared participation 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...?
Unclear
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
During the development of the participation workshops, those present were introduced to the content of the Open Government program, the methodology of the workshop, and its objective. However, the participants did not have any preparation or material prior to the forum. It is worth mentioning that prior to the second workshop, where the chambers of Córdoba participated, a meeting was held with ADEC to identify and contact possible representatives of the city to take part in the workshop, in order to establish a network of connections that could facilitate the participation of various organizations.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.3 Did the government ensure that any interested member of the public could make inputs into the action plan and observe or have access to decision-making documentation?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
In conjunction with the Province of Córdoba, the possibility of a virtual citizen consultation was enabled after the establishment of the plan, its objectives, and commitments, so that neighbors could intervene in the process. In this Citizen Consultation, which took place on the Ciudadano Digital platform, any citizen interested in the plan had the possibility of writing an opinion on the established program and suggesting possible changes or new aspects be considered. Therefore, this space for participation encourages and enhances the leading role of citizens, helping to improve public trust 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.
2.4 Did the government proactively report back or provide written feedback to stakeholders on how their contributions were considered during the creation of the action plan?
No
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
As of the date of completionImplementers must follow through on their commitments for them to achieve impact. For each commitment, OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) evaluates the degree to which the activities outlin... of the present form, it could not verify the existence of evident feedback offered to the participants of the action plan, about their contributions, ideas, topics discussed, and decisions. The final Local OGP Program was recently launched, so there are still some activities pending to be carried out in the near future, so you can establish the 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... of the Municipality of Córdoba to send the corresponding returns on the contributions made in the workshops, in order to provide information to individuals on how their participation was considered and results of the activities and outcomes originated in the workshops included in the program.
2.5 Was there an iterative dialogue and shared ownership between government and non-governmental stakeholders during the decision-making process, including setting the agenda?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The Municipality of Cordoba, together with civil society institutions, after the citizen participation workshops and consultations with different organizations, proceeded to formulate the commitments of the Action Plan to respond to the needs and suggestions raised that are in line with OGP values. The need for digital platforms, mobile applications, and websites that are easy to access and understand was identified. It was proposed as an objective for greater proximity and efficiency in the management of various types of procedures of the Municipality of Cordoba. In this way, opportunities for improvement were established for the fluidity and transparency of communication between the Municipality and the citizens. The final challenges were based on strengthening citizen service channels with the use of technologies and multichannel platforms, redesigning the digital ecosystem to improve and optimize navigability, implementing a strategy for the territorialization of the SDGs, and providing citizens with a digital application where they can report complaints.
2.6 Would you consider the forum to be inclusive and diverse?
Very
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The Multi-Stakeholder Forum, which met in a workshop format, is made up of a plurality of actors, both civil and governmental. A total of 39 people attended the workshops, where in both modalities it was decided to divide into two subgroups to work, so that the members of each of them were chosen randomly to ensure diversity, achieve an enriching debate, and meet the objective of working together, opening the conversation to the community and co-creating. Thanks to this work conformation and the dynamics implemented in each meeting, dozens of ideas emerged from those present, of which 6 in total passed the polishing stage and the feasibility/impact filter. The important presence of several universities, chambers of the city, and non-governmental organizations in the development of each workshop are highlighted. All the actors of the forum worked in an inclusive and cooperative way among the parties, being able to advance in the process of Open Government development, contributing with their corresponding proposals, consensus, and divergences.
Provide evidence for your answer:
Section 3. Initial evaluation of commitments
Provide citizens with a digital app through which they can report incidents, claims, and complaints.
1.1 Is the commitment verifiable?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The aforementioned commitment includes the development of a mobile application where public and private incident reports can be made by citizens. On the other hand, it is determined the implementation of a web system for the management of the incidents of different agents that can register requirements. They are complemented by applications of the Tribunal de Faltas for the management of private incidents and applications for the management of public incidents. At the same time, this commitment allows 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 in the entire process, from the moment it begins until the service received is rated. These mechanisms are expected to generate quality information, improve the efficiency of the operational areas, and improve accountability for the procedures carried out by the neighbors.
As a monitoring body, it verifies the existence of the mentioned application. The application is available on Google Play and App Store so that all citizens can have easy access to this tool. On the other hand, the web page of the application provides information on the options to be executed and the different sections available.
Provide evidence for your answer:
1.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevanceAccording to the OGP Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should include a clear open government lens. Specifically, they should advance at least one of the OGP values: transparency, citizen partic... to OGP values?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment is mainly relevant to the OGP value of “technology/information for accountability”. The aim is to improve the link with citizens, the efficiency of procedures, and the quality of the information received by citizens. This will enhance the development of technologies and digital platforms in the procedures related to the services provided by the Municipality of Cordoba while promoting transparency in management processes so that citizens can have updated information on the status of their claims. This contributes to solving a problem that has existed for a long time in the Municipality of Cordoba regarding the difficulty in following up on claims and visualizing their procedure.
Provide evidence for your answer:
1.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
A new regulationGovernment reformers are developing regulations that enshrine values of transparency, participation, and accountability in government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or reforming ..., policy, practice, or requirement.
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The creation of a new application generates an innovative practice in the execution of claims and incidents by citizens, with the unification of the various existing claim channels, so that the access, follow-up, and conclusion of the procedure are carried out in the most optimal way possible. This practice has no previous precedents. On the other hand, the objective of accountability will allow us to provide a better quality of information to the neighbors.
Provide evidence for your answer:
1.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
is a positive change to a process, practice or policy but will not generate a binding or institutionalized change across government or specific institution(s).
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment to develop a new application will mean a new tool for citizens to improve the integration in the management of different procedures. In this way, a change will be generated in the interaction between citizens and the systems of claims and requirements provided by the Municipality. As it is a digital application for claims and different procedures, this commitment does not generate a binding or institutionalized change in any area of government.
Provide evidence for your answer:
1.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?
The commitment could be improved by including among its participant organizations involved in issues such as security, complaints, and incidents, as is the case of the NGO “Relevando Peligros”. This is justified due to the high correlation between the objective of the commitment and the role of these organizations, which have greater knowledge of what happens on a daily basis and have closer contact with neighbors. Thus, there should be a broader vision of the problems addressed, with relevant contributions to the contents of the commitment and methodologies for the implementation of improvements. On the other hand, one aspect to improve is the formality in the evidence of several points of the commitment, such as the previous training of the actors, the development of the action plan, and the effective implementation of the commitments.
2. Commitment :
Ongoing redesign of the digital media systems to improve or optimize citizen experience and browsability.
2.1 Is the commitment verifiable?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The redesign of the digital ecosystem allowed for continuous improvement, with a special focus on the most popular digital services. To this end, an iterative work methodology was determined to optimize the implementation of the commitment, obtaining the best results. In this way, hypotheses are formulated about the common difficulties to access a digital service, then these hypotheses are validated with available data to generate a proposal to improve the technological platform to which the service refers. After that, the impact of the proposal is evaluated to analyze its performance. In the end, the hypothesis generation process is repeated and a new improvement opportunity is identified. This methodology seeks to generate impacts in the short term on the accessibility of services by the citizens of Cordoba, and an improvement in their quality, in order to meet the requirements of the neighbors in the most optimal, accessible, and informative way.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevance to OGP values?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The aforementioned commitment is linked to OGP’s value of citizen “listening”, based on the processing and systematization of information gathered by the use of digital platforms. This information allows the implementation of permanent improvements to digital services. With the iterative methodology, the systematization of metrics on the needs, accessibility, execution and valuation of the services offered is achieved. From them, it will be possible to implement improvements in the services thanks to the active participation of citizens in the platforms, being able to express their experience in them, highlighting the successes and failures in the services provided.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
A continuation of the ongoing practice in line with existing legislationCreating and passing legislation is one of the most effective ways of ensuring open government reforms have long-lasting effects on government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or r..., policies, or requirements.
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The modification in the design of the digital ecosystem, with the implementation of UX (User Experience) design, will improve the interface of the digital services of the Municipality of Córdoba, focusing on the user experience, so that their navigation through the technological platforms is even more intuitive and easily accessible. This commitment is based on the continuation of an ongoing practice in accordance with existing legislation and requirements, which will introduce a change in the access and execution of the various digital tools available to citizens.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
It is a positive change to a process, practice, or policy but will not generate a binding or institutionalized change across government or specific institution(s).
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The activities of this commitment mean a positive change in the process and practice of user accessibility to digital services available to the Municipality for the management of various procedures. This commitment will not generate a binding change in the government or in a public area because it is a commitment based on the redesign of an existing website, but it will improve the experience of citizens in the interaction with the government’s digital platforms.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?
As a monitoring body, the lack of evidence on the effective implementation of the commitment was verified, as well as the lack of information available to the society to be able to follow up on it, and understand its development and purpose. In this case, we can suggest the possibility of providing information on the iterative process that is carried out for the implementation of the redesign of the digital ecosystem, issuing the hypotheses that are generated after the analysis of data on the use of digital platforms, transfers are the improvement solutions and the justification for its implementation. Mention is made about the need for the citizen to be aware of the changes that are introduced in line with this commitment, being able to be a participant of the real positive impact on the experience of the neighbors.
3. Commitment:
Promote self-management processes of neighboring sustainable development through Neighborhood Centers of the City of Cordoba, taking 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... as axes for the planification.
3.1 Is the commitment verifiable?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The proposal of this commitment is based on implementing an operational decentralization plan for neighborhood centers with the active participation of citizens since they are the bodies closest to them, where they can exercise their rights, implement neighborhood activities and express their concerns. The plan is subdivided into several modules: strengthening neighborhood centers in legal and accounting aspects related to their legal status, promoting their self-management with the transfer of tools and resources; and the creation of community, inter-institutional and intersectoral networks aiming at the sustainable development of the neighborhood and the territorialization of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), a commitment shared with the province. This will give greater powers and action plans to the associations that mainly bring together the citizens of the neighborhoods, whose access is more direct and easier. This empowerment in the management of neighborhood centers will mean a new network of relations between the different actors in the city.
Provide evidence for your answer:
3.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevance to OGP values?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
This commitment to neighborhood self-management is relevant to the OGP value of “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 inclusion”. The Neighborhood Centers are representative associations of the neighbors of the neighborhood, so their efforts allowed a greater and more efficient participation of citizens in public policies and in the active participation of the political life of the city, to achieve a greater impact in the areas in which they are involved. Thus, citizens will be able to make their contributions in a more direct way, generating collaborative work between the parties, to improve participation in government decisions, as well as provide them with greater capacity for action and resolution, while these organizations will have a greater degree of autonomy in the management of their activities.
Provide evidence for your answer:
3.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
A continuation of the ongoing practice in line with existing legislation, policies, or requirements.
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment to Neighborhood Self-Management is a new practice and regulation, as it implies the transfer of resources and tools to Neighborhood Centers, granting them greater autonomy. This commitment, therefore, generates binding changes in specific institutions, since they will be strengthened in the legal and accounting aspects of their legal status. Thus, inter-institutional, community and neighborhood networks will be created, which will allow a better relationship between neighbors and government areas.
Provide evidence for your answer:
3.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
This will result in a change of the rules, practices, or policies that govern a policy area, public sector, and relationship between citizens and is binding or institutionalized across government or specific institution(s).
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The activities aimed at implementing this commitment will result in a change of rules and regulations in the Neighborhood Centers of the city of Córdoba, set forth in a new municipal ordinance. This will imply a change in the relationship between citizens and the government since they will be able to turn to the centers as the first link to voice their concerns and exercise their rights. In this way, the development of the participation mechanisms established by regulations, such as the Neighborhood Participation Boards and the Participatory Budget, will be encouraged. In conclusion, citizen participation will have a greater influence and presence in the public policies of the city of Córdoba.
Provide evidence for your answer:
3.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?
Some of the changes in the design of the present commitment that could be suggested to improve its implementation are based on, for example, providing more evidence, testimonies, and proof of the implementation of the commitment, its effects, and results. In this way, civil society will be able to accept the commitments in the process and generate its own opinion about them, as well as have more active participation. An example of this would be to have information on the implementation of this commitment, in aspects such as the new powers that are effectively attributed to the neighborhood centers, and the amount of money provided to them since the objectives are destined to this budget. Thus, as a monitoring body, this would be an advantage for adequate control over the implementation process of the commitment, being also a source of follow-up for civil society.
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