Speech by Haydeé Pérez Garrido, Executive Director of Fundar, Center for Analysis and Research (Mexico) at OGP’s Five-Year Anniversary, High-Level Event UN General Assembly 71, September 19, 2016
Discurso Haydeé Pérez Garrido, Directora de Fundar, Centro de Análisis e Investigación (México), Quinto Aniversario de OGP, Evento de Alto Nivel, 71 Asamblea General de la ONU, 19 septiembre 2016
I must admit that it was hard for me to write this short speech. But that is not surprising; it has become increasingly hard for me to do my job and, in general, to inhabit this planet. Every day, I see outrageous and painful realities. But, what can I tell you that you don’t know already?
I see people and communities stripped of their land and territory, whose health and lives are compromised by the implementation of large-scale development projects that have no respect for their right to decide about their only possessions on behalf of “development”. I wonder, whose “development” or for whom, and especially what do we mean by “development”.
Scandals of corruption, of taxPlacing transparency, accountability, and participation at the center of tax policy can ensure that burdens are distributed equitably across society. Technical specifications: Commitments related to c... havens and fiscal privileges, of conflicts of interestA key part of anti-corruption involves preventing or revealing conflicts of interest — when a public official is in a position to use public office for personal or private gain. Technical specificat..., all involving senior officials within the political establishment, who, evidently in agreement with the economic elites, benefit and leverage private gains from public goods.
Dads and moms who have been suffering for years because they do not know the whereabouts of their sons and daughters because they have a “disappeared person” status, or people who have been tortured by the authorities in order to confirm some investigative theory.
Journalists and human rightsAn essential part of open government includes protecting the sacred freedoms and rights of all citizens, including the most vulnerable groups, and holding those who violate human rights accountable. T... defenders that are trying to carry out their work in very difficult conditions. For many of them, their committed work is repaid with harassment, repression and, in some cases, death.
In addition, I have seen absurd and ignorant proposals such as the construction of walls that seek to separate rather than unite us. And I have to live with an alternate reality where Statesman Awards are granted to someone with an approval rating of approximately 20% among the people he governs, such as the Mexican President.
It is in such a complicated context that OGP was born 5 years ago. I personally decided that a project of dialogue and interaction between civil society, the private sectorGovernments are working to open private sector practices as well — including through beneficial ownership transparency, open contracting, and regulating environmental standards. Technical specificat..., and the government could become a powerful platform for significant progress in 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, 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 the fight against corruption; always having the human rights as the ultimate goal: the right to health, educationAccountability within the public education system is key to improving outcomes and attainment, and accountability is nearly impossible without transparent policies and opportunities for participation ..., peace, and a decent life.
But I want to be frank with you: 5 years after embarking on this road, my assessment is bittersweet. On the one hand, I have to acknowledge that today we have a stronger international community of institutions and people interested in taking these issues forward, and OGP has undoubtedly played a key role in achieving this.
This interaction has been instructive for all of us; we have put a stop to prejudice, we have developed joint projects, we have learned from the experience of countries that had never crossed our minds. Thanks to OGP, people and institutions committed to these causes have been recognized, and their work and talent has been appreciated. And, certainly, there has been some significant and concrete achievements.
However, I believe that the huge investment we made has not paid off as it should have. In some cases, OGP has become a process of “apparent openness” rather than a platform for effective co-creation. Very often, when defining action plans, middle-level officials are the ones who make commitments. And, afterwards, they lack the power to persuade their superiors or to compel other agencies to commit, much less to comply with the commitments undertaken.
Taking OGP seriously means opening a substantial and honest dialogue with civil society and taking on commitments at the highest level, which involve shifting bureaucratic institutions, investing material and economic resources, and, in many cases, promoting far-reaching changes. For some, open government still means opening public information databases or using information technologies when governing. They have not realized that it is about changing our current paradigm, since this has not yielded results.
OGP is about leveraging public intelligence located in different sectors of society in order to move forward in solving public issues that are becoming increasingly difficult to resolve.
It is about transitioning electoral democracies to participatory and deliberative democracies, where citizens are at the heart of government action and, therefore, can play a substantial part in the decisions affecting them. Ultimately, it is about democratizing information and decision-making forums, that is to say, democratizing power. Are you willing?
Until there is a genuine belief among heads of government, OGP will remain a very good idea, a very interesting and commendable initiative. Certainly one where many people from the social sector, private and public, work enthusiastically, but nevertheless a mediocre effort in the face of the huge challenges that we face as an international society.
Five years after launching this project, and with a deep knowledge of it, I am convinced that we have a platform with the potential to make a significant contribution to the objectives that we want to achieve in the 2030 development agenda.
It is up to you whether we get the most out of it or we keep leaving it in the background in order to advance minor and insignificant issues. I personally encourage you to make 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... to take it seriously and leverage its potential. Citizens need to restore their confidence in and the credibility of their governments and this is a unique opportunity to begin to do so. You decide whether to seize it or let it go.
Debo reconocer que me costó trabajo escribir esta breve intervención. Pero no es extraño, cada vez me cuesta más hacer mi trabajo y, en general, habitar este planeta. Todos los días observo realidades indignantes y dolorosas. Pero ¿qué les puedo decir que ustedes no sepan?
Observo pueblos y comunidades despojadas de su tierra y de su territorio que ven comprometida su salud y su vida por la implementación de megaproyectos que no respetan su derecho a decidir sobre lo único que tienen en favor del “desarrollo”. Me pregunto el “desarrollo” de quién o para quién y sobre todo qué estamos entendiendo por “desarrollo”.
Escándalos de corrupción, de paraísos y privilegios fiscales, de conflictos de intereses, todos relacionados con altos funcionarios de la clase política que, en evidente acuerdo con las elites económicas, se benefician y sacan provecho privado de los bienes públicos.
Papás y mamás que tienen años de sufrimiento por no saber el paradero de sus hijas e hijos porque se encuentran en estatus de “desaparecidos” o personas que han sido torturadas por las autoridades para lograr confirmar alguna hipótesis de su investigación.
Periodistas y defensores de derechos humanos, intentando llevar a cabo su labor en condiciones muy complicadas. Para muchos de ellos, la paga por su trabajo comprometido es el hostigamiento, la represión y, en algunos casos, la muerte.
Aunado a lo anterior, observo propuestas absurdas e ignorantes como la construcción de muros que en lugar de unirnos, pretenden separarnos. Y tengo que convivir con una realidad alterna en donde se le dan premios a la labor de estadista a alguien que tiene cerca del 20% de aprobación de sus gobernados, como es el caso del Presidente de México.
En un contexto tan complicado como este, hace 5 años surge OGP y yo, personalmente, decido que un proyecto de interacción y diálogo entre la sociedad civil, el sector privado y el gobierno podría convertirse en una plataforma poderosa para avanzar significativamente en la transparencia, la participación ciudadana y el combate a la corrupción siempre teniendo como fin último los derechos humanos: el derecho a la salud, a la educación, a la paz, a una vida digna.
Pero quiero ser franca con ustedes, a 5 años de haber iniciado el camino, mi valoración es agridulce. Por un lado, es necesario reconocer que hoy contamos con una comunidad internacional más fuerte de instituciones y personas interesadas en avanzar en estos temas y, sin duda, OGP ha sido clave para esto.
De esta interacción hemos aprendido todos, hemos terminado con prejuicios, hemos construido proyectos conjuntos, hemos aprendido de experiencias de países que nunca imaginamos. OGP ha servido para que a personas e instituciones comprometidas con estas causas se les reconozca y valore su trabajo y su talento. Sin duda, también han existido algunos avances concretos y significativos.
Sin embargo, considero que la enorme inversión que hemos hecho no nos ha redituado como debería. En algunos casos, OGP se ha convertido en un proceso de simulación de apertura más que en una plataforma de co-creación efectiva. Es muy común que sean funcionarios de nivel medio quienes se comprometen a la hora de definir los planes de acción y luego no tienen el poder suficiente para convencer a sus superiores o para obligar a otras dependencias a que se comprometan y mucho menos a qué cumplan con los compromisos asumidos.
Tomar en serio a OGP, significa abrir un diálogo franco y sustantivo con la sociedad civil y asumir compromisos significativos al más alto nivel, que implican mover los aparatos burocráticos, invertir recursos materiales y económicos y, en muchos casos, promover cambios profundos. Para algunos, gobierno abierto sigue significando abrir bases de datos de información pública o utilizar tecnologías de la información en el quehacer gubernamental. No se han dado cuenta de que se trata de cambiar el paradigma en el cual nos encontramos porque este no nos ha dado resultados.
OGP se trata de aprovechar la inteligencia colectiva instalada en distintos sectores de la sociedad para avanzar en la resolución de problemas públicos que son cada día más complejos de resolver.
Se trata de transitar de democracias electorales a democracias participativas y deliberativas, en donde la ciudadanía sea el centro de la acción gubernamental y por lo tanto pueda participar sustantivamente en las decisiones que nos afectan. Al final, se trata de democratizar la información, los espacios de toma de decisiones, es decir de democratizar el poder. ¿Están dispuestos?
Hasta que no haya un genuino convencimiento de las cabezas de los gobiernos, OGP seguirá siendo una muy buena idea, una iniciativa muy loable e interesante. Sin duda una en la cual trabajan muchas personas del sector social, público y privado con mucho entusiasmo, pero mediocre con respecto a los grandes retos que enfrentamos como sociedad internacional.
A 5 años del lanzamiento de este proyecto y conociéndolo de manera profunda, estoy convencida de que tenemos una plataforma con el potencial para aportar significativamente a los objetivos que queremos lograr en la agenda de desarrollo 2030.
De ustedes depende sacarle en máximo provecho o seguirla dejando en segundo término para avanzar en cuestiones menores y poco significativas. Por mi parte, los animo a que asuman el compromiso de tomársela en serio y de aprovechar su potencial. Los ciudadanos necesitamos recuperar la confianza y la credibilidad en nuestros gobiernos y esta es una oportunidad única para comenzar a hacerlo. ¡Ustedes deciden si la toman o la dejan!