Indicators of Welfare and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (UY0125)

Indicators of welfare and economic, social and cultural rights
Commitment start and end date: October 2018 to December 2019.
Institution or actor responsible for the implementation: the Ministry of Social Development
(MIDES), the National Directorate of Monitoring and Evaluation (DINEM) and the EGovernment and Information Society Agency (AGESIC).
New commitment.
Theme: Social Development – Social Inclusion
Commitment description
What is the commitment? To publish, in an open data format, a database of more than 1600
indicators on welfare and economic, social and cultural rights,
referring to: sociodemographic context, education, health, poverty
and income, work and employment, macroeconomics and public
social expenditure, environment, citizen security, housing and
habitat, ICT, social protection and security and time use.
Efforts are made to ensure that the set of indicators includes a
cross-cutting view of the processes of inequality and inequity. This
way, as long as the primary sources of information so admit, the
different dimensions that have been outlined cross-cut approaches
that evince the main gaps in the population's access to rights.
Thus, the system of indicators shall incorporate the following
approaches:
 Life cycle (focusing on early childhood, middle childhood
and adolescence, youth and old age)
 Gender (the Gender Information System is implemented
within the framework of the Social Observatory)
 Ethnic and racial (with a focus on the population of African
descent)
 Socioeconomic (with a focus on gaps in the performance
between different income strata and the population living in
poverty)
 Territorial
What is the problem that the
commitment will address?
The current problem is the existing dispersion of available
information on the areas described. It also addresses the
unavailability or limitation of the formats in which the information is
usually offered. These limitations make it difficult for citizens to
follow up on the commitments undertaken by the State in relation
to economic, social and cultural rights.
How will the commitment
contribute to solving the problem?
Publishing this broad set of indicators concerning Welfare and
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in an open format, will
enhance access to this information by the population in general
and by specialized actors in particular (journalism, the academia,
education, etc.). In particular, the envisaged development will
make it possible to increase the uses of published information,
enabling new uses and ways of presenting information,
decentralized from the Social Observatory Portal.
On that basis, access to technical and reliable information about
Uruguay's performance in the area of economic, social and cultural
rights is encouraged.
OGP value to which this
commitment will contribute.
Publishing this type of information in open formats represents an
effort to develop a culture of transparency and accountability, while
promoting the implementation of multi-actor and participatory
initiatives for monitoring and questioning State actions.
Additional information
The commitment is part of the open data plan of the Observatory of Programs and Indicators
of the Ministry of Social Development, which aims to contribute to building an information
system that allows for an understanding of the social situation of our country as well as the set
of social benefits offered by the Uruguayan State.
Currently, the Social Observatory manages and updates a system of social indicators that
yields information about Uruguay's level of progress in terms of the economic, social and
cultural rights of its population. A set of more than 1600 indicators can be consulted by
accessing the Observatory portal.
The management of this system of indicators involves the exploitation and integration into a
single site of various sources of information from our National Statistical System. Some that
are worth mentioning are:
- Continuous Household Survey (INE)
- Population, Households and Housing Censuses (INE)
- National Survey on Adolescence and Youth (INE-MIDES)
- Nutrition, Child Development and Health Survey (INE-MIDES-Udelar)
- Survey on Generation- and gender-based violence (INE-MIDES-INAU-MSP-AUCI-MIUNFPA)
- National Budget Records (CGN-MEF)
- System of National Accounts (BCU)
- Integrated Social Information System (multiple agencies)
- Vital Statistics Records (MSP)
- MIDES administrative records
- Observatory on violence and crime (Ministry of the Interior)
The indicators integrated into the Social Observatory are managed through this system and
are built in such a way that they can only be consumed as mass data. The purpose of this
commitment is to publish the Social Observatory's set of indicators in open data format.
The human rights approach posits that the ultimate goal of any public policy must be the
enjoyment of rights by persons. Within this framework, right-holders and duty-bearers are
established. The State stands as a key actor, insofar as it has obligations as duty bearer and
enforcer of rights. The State has the obligations to respect (refrain from impeding the exercise
of rights), protect (prevent third parties from abridging the rights of legal subjects) and
promote (make effective) access to rights.
The adoption of a rights-based approach also implies adopting the vast array of human rights
instruments, enshrined at the international level and ratified at the national level, as the
regulatory framework for public action. At the same time, it involves adhering to some
principles for State action, such as equality and non-discrimination, progressive realization
and non-regression in access to rights, promotion of participation, and transparency and
accountability, among others.
Supplementing the regulatory framework and of conceptual principles for public action
provided by the rights-based approach, the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development sets
out short- and medium-term priorities and targets for action.
Faced with a framework for action such as that provided by the rights-based approach and the
2030 Agenda, it is extremely important to develop tools that allow for broad and multi-actor
monitoring of the fulfilment of the commitments undertaken by the States. To publish a
database of indicators such as the one proposed in this commitment is a significant
contribution in this regard.
On the one hand, the set of indicators is closely related to the rights enshrined in the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)8
, while crosscutting an overview with a focus on equality and the access to rights of vulnerable groups. In
addition, the indicators are also closely related to several of the objectives that have been set
out for the 2030 Agenda. Without ignoring the connection with other objectives, it should be
particularly noted that the indicators to be published are in line with: SDG 1: End of poverty,
SDG 2: Zero hunger, SDG 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 4: Quality education, SDG 5:
Gender equality, SDG 6: Clean Water and sanitation, SDG 8: Decent work and economic
growth, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities.
Finally, to publish this type of information in open formats represents an effort to develop a
culture of transparency and accountability, while promoting the implementation of multi-actor
and participatory initiatives for monitoring and questioning State actions.
Objectives and/or milestones
Description of objectives and/or milestones
Start date End date
To carry out a study of the production processes of indicators
and the design of the Welfare and Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights Indicators database.
October 2018 December 2018
To publish the Welfare and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Indicators database built in and available on the Social
Observatory portal and the National Catalog of Open Data.
January 2019 June 2019
To carry out at least two activities to promote the use of data by
relevant actors (journalists, students, civil society, researchers,
among others).
July 2019 December 2019

8

Adopted and ratified by the United Nations General Assembly in 1966
Contact information
National Directorate of Monitoring and Evaluation (DINEM)
Name of the responsible person Juan Pablo Labat (DINEM-MIDES)
Title, Department National Director of Monitoring and
Evaluation – MIDES /
Email address and phone number jlabat@mides.gub.uy / 2400 0302 ext.
1357
Name(s) of responsible technician(s) Manuel Piriz
Title, Department Social Observatory Director, DINEM
MIDES
Email address and phone number manpiriz@mides.gub.uy
AGESIC
Name of the responsible person Virginia Pardo (AGESIC)
Title, Department Director of the Digital Citizenship Area –
AGESIC /
Email address and phone number virginia.pardo@agesic.gub.uy
Name(s) of responsible technician(s) Ninoschka Dante
Title, Department Open Government Division Manager
Email address and phone number ninoschka.dante@agesic.gub.uy

Equidad, desarrollo y ciudadanía

27. Indicadores de bienestar y derechos económicos, sociales y culturales

Texto del compromiso como aparece en el plan de acción:

Disponibilizar en formato de datos abiertos una base de más de 1600 indicadores sobre bienestar y derechos económicos, sociales y culturales, referidos a las siguientes áreas: Contexto sociodemográfico, Educación, Salud, Pobreza e ingresos, Trabajo y empleo, Macroeconomía y gasto público social, Medio ambiente, Seguridad ciudadana, Vivienda y hábitat, TIC, Protección y Seguridad Social y Uso del tiempo.

Se procura que el conjunto de indicadores incorpore de forma transversal una mirada sobre los procesos de inequidad y desigualdad. De forma, siempre que las fuentes de información primarias lo admitan, las distintas dimensiones reseñadas transversalicen enfoques que evidencian las principales brechas en el acceso a los derechos de la población.

Los hitos de este compromiso son:

• Realizar estudio de procesos de producción de indicadores y diseño de Base de Indicadores de Bienestar y Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales

• Publicar base de Indicadores de Bienestar y Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales construida y disponible en portal del Observatorio Social y Catálogo Nacional de Datos Abiertos.

• Desarrollar al menos dos actividades de fomento del uso de los datos por parte de actores de relevancia (periodismo, estudiantes, sociedad civil, investigadores/as, entre otros).

Nota editorial: El texto completo del compromiso se encuentra en el Cuarto Plan de Acción Nacional de Gobierno Abierto de Uruguay 2018-2020, disponible aquí: https://goo.gl/XAMbNr

Fecha de inicio: Octubre 2018                       Fecha de término: Diciembre 2019             

Contexto y objetivos

Hasta el momento de creación de este compromiso la información e indicadores en el área de bienestar y derechos económicos, sociales y culturales que publica el Ministerio de Desarrollo Social (MIDES) en el Observatorio Social [115] no estaba disponible en formato abierto, por lo que su reutilización no era posible. El Observatorio Social es un sistema de información sobre la provisión pública en materia de bienestar y de la realidad social nacional que integra en un mismo sitio indicadores de diversas fuentes de información del Sistema Nacional de Estadísticas [116].

El objetivo del compromiso es poner a disposición en formato de datos abiertos más de 1.600 indicadores disponibles en el Observatorio Social, sobre contexto sociodemográfico, educación, salud, pobreza e ingresos, trabajo y empleo, macroeconomía, gasto público social, medio ambiente, seguridad ciudadana, vivienda y hábitat, tecnologías de la información y comunicación, seguridad social y uso del tiempo.

La persona referente [117] explicó que en el marco de este compromiso se implementa un proceso informático por el cual los indicadores que se suben al Observatorio, con el formato requerido por este sistema, se convierten automáticamente a un formato abierto y son consumidos por el Catálogo Nacional de Datos Abiertos. “Con este nuevo formato, entre otras cosas, es posible desarrollar nuevas aplicaciones que consuman la información de esos indicadores (algo que con el observatorio actual no es sencillamente realizable)” indicó.

De acuerdo con lo manifestado por la persona referente, el proyecto no responde a una demanda específica, pero sí han tenido muestras de interés que de alguna manera le han dado forma a esta iniciativa. Un experto de la organización DATA [118] consultado al respecto, consideró que es un gran avance poner a disposición más de 1.600 conjuntos de datos abiertos de indicadores sociales en el Catálogo Nacional de Datos Abiertos, tomando en cuenta además que no son solo indicadores del MIDES, sino también de otros organismos como el Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas (INE) que no sube sus datos al Catálogo Nacional. El experto recalcó la importancia del Catálogo, no como mero visualizador de información para el público, pero como fuente oficial centralizada de datos que cumple con un estándar de calidad para intermediarios de información (informediarios).

Las acciones propuestas en el marco de este compromiso son lo suficientemente específicas como para que su cumplimiento se pueda verificar objetivamente. Las investigadoras de IRM consideran que la publicación de indicadores sociales en datos abiertos y la propuesta de generar instancias para el fomento de uso de datos por otros actores fuera del Estado, es de un impacto moderado. Para concebirse como de impacto transformador sería necesario incluir otras acciones tendientes no solo a difundir o fomentar el uso, sino a generar funcionalidades o aplicaciones con esos datos para facilitar su comprensión y utilización por parte de la ciudadanía. Para obtener la visión de la sociedad civil se envió consulta a las personas referentes que participaron en algunas de las mesas de cocreación del plan de acción, pero no se había obtenido respuesta al cierre de este informe [119].

Siguientes pasos

Este compromiso se desarrolla en el marco de una política de información y transparencia del MIDES, por lo que su actualización y continuidad está garantizada en tanto la política se mantenga. Para continuar profundizando en lo que respecta a la reutilización de los datos que se abrieron, se hace necesario una labor de promoción para dar a conocer los distintos conjuntos de datos. También se recomienda trabajar en generar instancias de cocreación de herramientas o aplicaciones, vinculando a los actores del sector de la sociedad civil, academia, sector privado, medios de comunicación, etc. que puedan estar interesados en el seguimiento o monitoreo de los resultados de las políticas estatales