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Nuevo Leon: Challenges and Lessons Learned from the Biggest Open Government Coalition in OGP Local

Nuevo León: retos y lecciones de la Coalición de Gobierno Abierto más grande de OGP Local

Nuevo Leon is a state in northeastern Mexico with nearly six million inhabitants, making it the seventh most populous in the country. 93 percent of its population resides in the Metropolitan Area of Monterrey (ZMM), encompassing 13 of the state’s 51 municipalities.

Within the ZMM, two municipalities stand out: Monterrey, the state capital, and San Pedro Garza Garcia, one of the wealthiest municipalities in the Americas. In 2021, these two municipalities, along with the Government of Nuevo Leon State, joined forces with the Nuevo Leon Council for Strategic Planning, the State Institute of Transparency, Access to Information, and Personal Data Protection of Nuevo Leon, and the Core of Civil Society Organizations of Nuevo Leon to form a coalition to create a government closer to its people.

This working group evolved into the Nuevo Leon Open Coalition, with its initial focus on promoting the open government model in the state and applying to join OGP Local in 2022. A year and a half after achieving these goals, we’re sharing reflections, challenges, and lessons learned from working on open government as a coalition.

Challenges

  1. Manage commitments and build a close relationship with civil society organizations. The formation of an operational working group of 13 people, led by public servants such as representatives of youth organizations, has been crucial in fulfilling the strategic vision of open government in Nuevo Leon.
  2. Mainstream the open government approach across all government levels. We promoted training, talks, and forums to gain internal allies and encourage the development of reform-minded public servants advocating for collaborative governance.
  3. Anticipate and proactively address emerging demands. Agile responses are required to foresee changes, adapt quickly, and establish preventive strategies that position us to continue promoting government openness competitively in a dynamic social environment.

Lessons

  1. Being open to change is crucial for the Coalition’s relevance and efficiency. Since the commitments were implemented, the working group has followed a path of constant changes to streamline processes, align expectations, face challenges with determination, and learn from adversities to strengthen the group’s action strategies.
  2. Continuous communication with OGP enriches the Coalition’s knowledge. Dialogue with the OGP Local team has been essential in identifying opportunities for process improvement, re-adjusting commitment scopes, aligning tasks with international best practices, and using the OGP’s networks to disseminate the group’s work and lessons learned.
  3. Reinventing the role of civil society is imperative. Following best practices from civil society organizations of other OGP Local members, the Nuevo Leon Open Core of Civil Society Organizations was established to give civil society a leading role in the open government process. Its role is crucial in promoting a direct collaboration between governments, institutions, and civil society, as well as for more effective public participation

Sharing our Coalition’s experiences and lessons contributes to the development of open government in Nuevo León and we hope it can offer an inspiring and replicable model for other local governments. The creation of the Nuevo Leon Open Coalition has been a turning point in the collective understanding of what open government is in Nuevo Leon and globally, as it exemplifies positive, sustainable, and proactive teamwork.

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