Brief Description of the Commitment

Develop and implement non-formal educational programming, which addresses the fundamental principles of democracy, human rights and civic and digital participation. With Human Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals as a framing vision: • Provide information about the functioning and organization of the Government; • Promote participation and civic awareness; • Promote Knowledge about Democracy; • Encourage Digital Participation.

Problem Definition

1. What problem does the commitment aim to address? Removal of citizens from the political system and reduced exercise of participatory and digital citizenship. According to the report The Global State of Democracy 2023, carried out by The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), democracy has been contracting in all regions of the world, in half of the countries included in the report, they found declines in at least one indicator of democratic performance. Europe remains the best-performing region in the world, led by a number of consolidated democracies. However, from these initial high levels, there have been significant declines in specific indicators of democratic performance in many of these established democracies, such as Austria, Hungary and Poland, signaling that action is needed to counter this trend. It is said that a total of 17 countries suffered erosion in the democratic indicators analyzed in the last five years, and Portugal was no exception, after, in 2020, it registered a drop in three of the parameters that measure the quality of democracies. Portugal, despite everything, remains a healthy democracy and although it shares with other European countries some deficit in the corruption component and the lack of greater openness to citizens' participation in government decisions.

2. What are the causes of the problem? To answer this question, you should follow the following guidelines: Explain the causes of the problem. As much as possible, identify the root of the problems. Utilize problem analytic tools (e.g., problem tree, five whys, fishbone diagram, or other related methods) when necessary and provide evidence whenever possible. According to the Study Institutions and quality of democracy: political culture in Southern Europe, carried out by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation, “The crisis of trust in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece is clearly linked to the incapacity of the governments of national democracies and the European Union to generate prosperity, employment and economic security for ordinary citizens over the last 30 years. The era of globalization has thus brought harmful consequences to the relationship between citizens and democratic regimes.”

Tree of problems analisys:

Problem: Decrease in the quality of Democracy Challenge: Bringing citizens closer to democratic institutions What part of the problem are we going to solve: Promote civic participation through the transmission of information about the Democratic System, in the context of the organization and functioning of the Government.

Direct Causes: Inability of EU Governments to generate prosperity, employment and economic security for ordinary citizens; Challenges posed by the characteristics of the information and knowledge society in the digital era; Global geopolitical and socioeconomic context.

Indirect Causes: Negative assessment of the performance of political and party power; Citizens' dissatisfaction with the Judicial System - they consider that there is unequal treatment before the law Quality of living and working conditions; Erosion of the quality of information and freedom of the press; Functional and digital illiteracy.

Direct Effects: Dissatisfaction with the functioning of democracy; Infoexclusion Risk; Political and Social Polarization; Erosion of social cohesion.

Indirect Effects Lack of trust in democratic institutions; Removal of citizens from traditional participation mechanisms; Permeability of citizens to disinformation;

Description of the Commitment

1. What has been done so far to solve the problem? The Educational Service for Democracy is a recent project at the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (SGPCM). During 2023, some specific activities were carried out, 2024 is the starting year for a permanent programmatic offer aimed at the external public. In this sense, we still do not have data that allows us to evaluate the impact of the actions carried out. We are committed to identifying indicators that allow us to evaluate the impact of the work carried out and, if necessary, improve and rectify practices and paths.

2. What solution are you proposing? Greater knowledge about the national political system, its principles and mode of operation are a contribution to: • Transmit and share knowledge in the areas of democratic culture, human rights and active citizenship; • Stimulate the development of skills for Democratic Culture - Attitudes | Values | Capabilities | Critical knowledge and understanding; • Encourage citizen participation – Institutional mechanisms |Exploration of new participation formats

3. What results do we want to achieve by implementing this commitment? Increased public participation by citizens: • Transmit and share knowledge in the areas of democratic culture, human rights and active citizenship; • Stimulate the development of skills for Democratic Culture - Attitudes | Values | Capabilities | Critical knowledge and understanding; • Encourage citizen participation – Institutional mechanisms |discovering new participation formats.

Commitment Planning (Milestones | Expected outputs | Expected completion date)

Creation of a simulation of the functioning of the Council of Ministers in partnership with civil society | Perform between 15 and 30 sessions | December 2027

Creating podcasts on political topics, with the intervention of citizens | Make between 3 and 5 Podcasts | December 2027

Holding conferences and webinars on human rights and citizenship issues | Carry out between 3 and 6 initiatives | December 2027

Results assessment | Create a report for each year of activity | December 2027

Action Plan Review

Commitment 7 will develop and implement an informal educational programme on participation and digital citizenship to promote participatory democracy. The Commitment is part of the “Educational Service for Democracy” project, [70] launched by the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (SGPCM) in 2023 and is connected to other civic participation activities being developed by AMA and LabX. [71] However, it is unclear what aspects of the Commitment are ongoing work for SGPCM, and what added value inclusion in the OGP action plan provides. While one of the objectives is to explore new participation formats, milestones revolve around training and communication activities such as webinars, conferences, podcasts, and a Council of Ministers simulation with citizens. Ahead of implementation, it would be useful to clarify what participatory tools would be piloted and tested, and to add milestones seeking to increase participation opportunities in practice. It will also be important to clarify the roles of civil society partners PASC and ANJE, and to leverage their expertise when designing the interventions. Strong backing from LabX could contribute to producing positive results.

Annex 2: Action Plan Co-Creation

OGP member countries are encouraged to aim for the full ambition of the OGP Participation and Co-Creation Standards that came into force on 1 January 2022. ^[72] The IRM assesses all countries that submitted action plans from 2022 onward under the updated standards. Table 2 outlines the extent to which the countries’ participation and co-creation practices meet the minimum

requirements that apply during development of the action plan.

OGP instituted a 24-month grace period to ensure a fair and transparent transition to the updated standards. Action plans co-created and submitted by 31 December 2023 fall within the grace period. The IRM will assess countries’ alignment with the standards and their minimum requirements. ^[73] However, countries will only be found to be acting contrary to the process if they do not meet the minimum requirements for action plans co-created in 2024 and onwards.

Please note that, according to the OGP National Handbook, countries implementing four-year

action plans must undertake a refresh process at the two-year mark. Countries are expected to

meet minimum requirements 3.1 and 4.1 during the refresh process. [74] IRM assessment of the

refresh process will be included in the Results Report.

Table 2. Compliance with minimum requirements

Minimum requirement

Met during co-creation?

Met during implementation?

1.1 Space for dialogue: The National Network for Open Administration (RNAA) was created soon after Portugal joined the OGP and held its first meeting on 15 June 2018. The RNAA comprises seven members from the public sector and three from civil society. It is coordinated by the Administrative Modernization Agency (AMA) and LabX within AMA, currently Portugal’s OGP focal point. Its composition and mandate are established in the statutes published on the OGP website. [75] During development of the third OGP action plan, the RNAA met on four occasions (28 August, 13 November, and 11 and 28 December 2023), mostly in virtual format. This was slightly less frequent than foreseen in the statutes (at least every two months). At each meeting, the date for the next meeting was announced. Meeting agendas were shared with RNAA members seven days in advance. [76] Meeting agendas and minutes are published on the national OGP website. [77]

Yes

To be assessed in the Results Report

2.1 OGP website: Portugal’s OGP website was launched in 2018 and can be accessed at https://ogp.eportugal.gov.pt/, both in Portuguese and English. It contains basic information about the OGP process and activities, RNAA meetings, and a monitoring table for each action plan, including the third. The website also includes information on registering for the OGP mailing list [78] and a button for comment submission.

Yes

To be assessed in the Results Report

2.2 Repository: Portugal’s OGP website includes a repository that is updated more than twice a year. It offers access to the statutes of the RNAA and the agendas and minutes of RNAA meetings since 2018, which were published after each meeting, without listing publication dates. [79] Some information is available about the development of the third action plan, and each commitment has a dedicated page to track progress. [80]

Yes

To be assessed in the Results Report

3.1 Advanced notice: Portugal’s OGP website published an announcement that the co-creation process would start at the end of June, [81] but did not publish a co-creation timeline with dates or an overview of opportunities for stakeholder participation (including workshops, survey, and final public consultation).

No

Not applicable

3.2 Outreach: Outreach activities were limited. Shortly before taking place, some workshops were announced on the OGP website and partners’ websites. [82] Portugal’s OGP mailing list offered some outreach to its subscribers (approximately 450 as of December 2023). [83] However, a civil society representative noted that the co-creation process lacked awareness-raising activities to engage the general public and other relevant stakeholders. [84]

Yes

Not applicable

3.3 Feedback mechanism: At RNAA meetings, civil society members were consulted about the action plan. They were able to share feedback on commitment drafts in mid-December. In addition, wider stakeholders were able to take part in three workshops in November 2023 ^[85] and an online survey concerning areas to prioritize for development of commitments. The survey was open for 10 days [86] and received 112 responses. [87] Information about the workshops and the survey was not directly available on the OGP and AMA websites. Finally, AMA held a one-week public consultation to validate the action plan in late December, which did not receive any comments. Interested citizens could also provide input by email or through a comment button on the OGP website, but no comments were reported through those channels. [88] While feedback mechanisms met OGP’s minimum requirements, the Point of Contact acknowledged that the final public consultation period was quite short. Civil society representatives also noted that consultation mechanisms were not announced early enough to encourage participation from a wide range of stakeholders and to have significant effect on action plan decisions. ^[89]

Yes

Not applicable

4.1 Reasoned response: Commitment proposals submitted by PASC / APDSI, TI Portugal, and ANJE are partially mentioned in RNAA minutes, but may not have been discussed or documented in full. [90] Members of the RNAA received a response email from the Point of Contact on 21 December, before the plan was adopted on 28 December. Civil society representatives did not view this email as providing sufficient input on why their proposals had not been included in the action plan. Other stakeholder contributions, such as responses to the survey, were not disclosed and no reasoned response was provided. [91]

Yes

Not applicable

5.1 Open implementation: The IRM will assess whether meetings were held with civil society stakeholders to present implementation results and enable civil society to provide comments in the Results Report.

Not applicable

To be assessed in the Results Report

The development of Portugal’s third action plan did not meet the minimum requirements of the OGP Participation & Co-Creation Standards as it did not publish a co-creation timeline or overview of opportunities for stakeholder participation. As this action plan undertakes a four-year implementation period, the plan will have a refresh period after two years—an opportunity for stakeholders to reflect on the implementation of the action plan, assess next steps, and determine a way forward to ensure strong ambition and results. The IRM will assess compliance with minimum requirements 1.1, 2.1, 2.2., 3.1, 4.1, and 5.1 again at this midpoint, after submission of the refreshed action plan. To meet OGP standards during this period, IRM particularly recommends:

• The timeline and the overview of opportunities for stakeholder participation is published on the OGP website well in advance of the start of the refresh period (at least two weeks before).
• LabX/AMA and the RNAA document all stakeholder proposals on the OGP website and report back or publish written feedback to stakeholders on how their proposals were considered during the refresh period, including the criteria used.