Action plan – Contagem, Brazil, 2026 – 2028

At-a-Glance

Duration

Dec 2028

Date Submitted

27th April 2026

Foreword(s)

Contagem’s journey in open government dates back to 2017, when the municipality began incorporating, in a structured way, 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 and social participation practices into its public management. Since then, an institutional culture has been progressively built, committed to dialogue, active listening, and collaboration with society.

Throughout this period, municipal management invested in the creation and improvement of dialogue channels with the population — both in-person and digital —, consolidated public policy councils as legitimate spaces for deliberation, and held municipal conferences that included historically underrepresented groups, placing 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 at the heart of public policy-making.

In 2022, Contagem took a decisive step by joining the Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More (OGP), launching its first Action Plan and assuming formal commitments before the international community. This milestone enhanced participatory processes, expanded the use of digital platforms, and deepened the integration between government and civil society in the formulation and monitoring of public policies.

This 2nd Action Plan represents the continuity and maturation of this journey. Built collaboratively with municipal secretariats, civil society organizations, councils, and academia, its central objectives are to broaden access to justiceAccessible justice systems – both formal and informal – ensure that individuals and communities with legal needs know where to go for help, obtain the help they need, and move through a system tha... More, promote genderOGP participating governments are bringing gender perspectives to popular policy areas, ensuring diversity in participatory processes, and specifically targeting gender gaps in policies to address gov... More equity, and integrate social participation into urban environmental planning. Its implementation will be conducted in partnership with society, with independent monitoring by Centro Universitário UNA de Contagem and ongoing accountability to the population — consolidating a more transparent, responsive, and effective governance.

Open Government Challenges, Opportunities and Strategic Vision

This subsection details the Open Government Strategic Vision in your local area that should guide the commitments for the action plan period.

What is the long-term vision for open government in your context and jurisdiction?

Contagem envisions a future in which governing with transparency, participation, and integrity is not the exception, but the natural way of exercising public power — a permanent 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 society and to generations yet to come.

In this vision, the city will be increasingly inclusive and innovative: a municipality where citizens not only follow decisions, but actively build them, through hybrid and digital channels that reach all territories. The Decide Contagem platform will be consolidated as a permanent space for dialogue between government and society, sustained by an annual calendar of participatory events present in the municipality’s regions and communities.

In the long term, the principles of Open Government will cease to be isolated initiatives and become an inseparable part of institutional culture — integrated into the execution of every project and public policy. The result will be more responsive, legitimate, and effective governance, in which listening, dialogue, and collaboration permanently structure the relationship between public authorities and the citizens of Contagem.

What are the achievements in open government to date (for example, recent open government reforms)?

Contagem has been structuring an open government agenda grounded in transparency, participation, and collaboration with society. More than a concept, this commitment has translated into concrete practices that expand access to information and create real opportunities for public involvement in public decisions. 

Among the actions implemented, the following stand out: 

• The Participatory Multi-Year Plan (PPA Participativo), which allowed citizens to directly contribute to defining priorities in municipal planning; 

• The Program for the Improvement of Villages, Favelas, and Peripheral Areas, which incorporates active community listening in defining local interventions; 

• The Municipal Council of Villages, Favelas, and Peripheral Areas, which strengthens social participation in an institutionalized manner; 

• The revision of the Municipal Plan for Racial Equality, carried out with civil society contributions to broaden the debate on equity; 

• The Climate Compliance Plan, developed with a focus on transparency and public engagement. 

These initiatives reflect significant progress in building a more open management, with participatory processes, qualified dialogue channels, and greater integration between government and society. The objective is to make public policies more effective, aligned with the needs of the population, and closely monitored by citizens. 

What are the current challenges/areas for improvement in open government that the jurisdiction wishes to tackle?

The municipality aims to promote more inclusive, transparent, and participatory public management. To this end, the following strategies will be adopted: 

• Strengthen and encourage the participation of underrepresented groups, expanding social participation channels and ensuring that more people have an active voice in decision-making processes; 

• Strengthen policies for women and promote actions aimed at gender equity, ensuring greater opportunities, rights, and representation; 

• Disseminate open justiceAn open, independent, and impartial justice system serves as a foundation for better access to justice by fulfilling all people’s civil liberties and allowing individuals to more effectively protect... practices, helping to broaden access to justiceTo address barriers that prevent citizens from having their justice needs met, OGP participating governments are working to expand transparency, accountability, and inclusion into all systems of justi... and strengthen trust in institutions; 

• Engage the population in climate compliance actions, promoting shared responsibility and environmental sustainability. 

In this way, the municipality consolidates an open government model committed to the future, equity, and citizen participation. 

What are the medium-term open government goals that the government wants to achieve?

In the medium term, Contagem seeks to make concrete progress in building open, participatory, and responsive governance, translating its strategic vision into structural commitments. 

In this timeframe, three central commitments will be implemented: 

• The Chamber for the Prevention and Administrative Resolution of Disputes of Contagem (CPRAC-C), with the objective of broadening access to justice and strengthening trust in institutions; 

• The Participatory and Transparent Urban Arborization Policy, integrating society into the municipality’s environmental planning; 

• The Municipal System of Policies for Women, which will bring together institutional data, map government initiatives, and structure indicators for planning, monitoring, and improving gender equity policies. 

In parallel, the municipality will expand social participation in hybrid and digital formats, strengthen the Decide Contagem platform, and establish an annual calendar of participatory events across territories, applying open government principles to the execution of projects and public policies. 

How does this action plan contribute to achieve the Open Government Strategic Vision?

Each commitment in this action plan translates the principles of transparency, participation, and integrity that guide Contagem’s open government into concrete and measurable initiatives. 

The promotion of gender equity and the inclusionOGP participating governments are working to create governments that truly serve all people. Commitments in this area may address persons with disabilities, women and girls, lesbian, gay, bisexual, tr... More of women in decision-making processes strengthen a more representative and just governance, in which public policies reflect the needs of the entire population. The pursuit of open justice broadens society’s access to institutions, reduces asymmetries, and builds trust between citizens and public authorities. The environmental agenda, in turn, incorporates social participation into urban and climate planning, making sustainability a shared responsibility between government and community. 

How does the open government strategic vision contribute to the accomplishment of the current administration’s overall policy goals?

By strengthening and expanding 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... — through digital platforms, hybrid channels, and territorial events — the municipality includes citizens in decision-making processes and in the planning of public policies. More accessible data and more transparent processes enhance this dialogue, allowing society to continuously monitor, evaluate, and contribute to governance. 

By promoting gender equity, inclusion, and access to justice, open government contributes to a more just and representative city. By integrating the population into environmental and climate planning, it strengthens a sustainability agenda with shared responsibility. 

In this way, the strategic vision connects each commitment in the plan to the broader goals of the administration: modernizing governance, reducing inequalities, strengthening trust in institutions, and collaboratively building a more innovative and future-ready Contagem. 

Engagement and Coordination in the Open Government Strategic Vision and OGP Action Plan

Please list the lead institutions responsible for the implementation of this OGP action plan.

• Office of the Municipal Comptroller General (CGM)
• Office of the Municipal Attorney General (PGM)
• Municipal Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainable Development (SEMAD)
• Municipal Authority for Parks and Squares of Contagem (PARC)
• Municipal Secretariat for Women and Youth (SMUJ)

What kind of institutional arrangements are in place to coordinate between government agencies and departments to implement the OGP action plan?

An ordinance establishing a Working Group with representatives from all secretariats involved, academia, and Civil Society Organizations.

What kind of spaces have you used or created to enable the collaboration between government and civil society in the co-creation and implementation of this action plan? Mention both offline and online spaces.

• A conceptual alignment workshop for clarifying questions and sharing experiences; 

• The Decide Contagem platform, for broader and more accessible public participation; 

• Meetings with representatives of public policy councils, partner CSO, and academia. 

What measures did you take to ensure diversity of representation (including vulnerable or marginalized populations) in these spaces?

In addition to involving diverse secretariats, representatives of public policy councils, partner CSOs, professors, and students from Centro Universitário UNA Contagem were invited to participate throughout the entire process — from the construction to the execution of actions. 

Who participated in these spaces?

• Representatives of partner Civil Society Organizations; 

• Representatives of Academia; 

• Representatives of Municipal Secretariats; 

• Representatives of Municipal Councils. 

How many groups participated in these spaces?

4

How many public-facing meetings were held 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...?

4

How will government and non-governmental stakeholders continue to collaborate through the implementation of the action plan?

Collaboration will be maintained through permanent dialogue channels and spaces, with the active involvement of stakeholders in monitoring execution. To this end, periodic meetings and working groups will be held, along with the use of collaborative digital platforms for information exchange, action monitoring, and collection of contributions. Mechanisms for active transparency and accountability will also be adopted, ensuring continuous participation, alignment among actors, and ongoing improvement of initiatives throughout the process. 

Please describe the independent Monitoring Body you have identified for this plan.

Recognizing the strategic importance of academic participation in open governance processes, the municipality of Contagem has designated the UNA Contagem University Center as the Independent Monitoring Body for the 2nd Action Plan.
The choice of UNA Contagem reflects not only its academic expertise but also its history of direct engagement with the municipality: the institution has monitored and supported Contagem’s open government initiatives since joining the OGP in 2022, having actively participated in the entire process of co-creation and monitoring of the 1st Action Plan as a representative of civil society.
For the 2nd Action Plan, UNA Contagem assumes an even more significant role, acting independently to monitor the implementation of the commitments made by the municipality, thereby contributing to the transparency and accountability of the process.

Provide the contact details for the independent monitoring body.

• Wagner Felipe Macedo Vilaça, Academic Coordinator, [email protected]

What types of activities will you have in place to discuss progress on commitments with stakeholders?

Meetings and gatherings — virtual or in-person — will be held periodically to monitor the progress and evolution of milestones for each commitment. 

How will you regularly check in on progress with implementing agencies?

Monitoring will be carried out through the submission of monitoring forms with information on milestone progress, delivery of supporting documentation, virtual and in-person meetings, the use of a dedicated email inbox for information exchange among Working Group members, and the use of collaborative digital platforms.

How will you share the results of your monitoring efforts with the public?

• Decide Contagem platform; 

• Open Government page on the Municipal Government’s Transparency Portal; 

• Publications across official communication channels and social media of the Municipality. 

Endorsement from Non-Governmental Stakeholders

• Wagner Felipe Macedo Vilaça, Academic Coordinator, Centro Universitário UNA Contagem
• Ana Flávia Santos, Delegate elected by the Municipal Women’s Conference (Civil Society), Municipal Women
• Janine Costa Ferreira, President, Association of Municipal Attorneys of Contagem – APCON
• Sarah Campos, President, Open Justice Commission of the Brazilian Bar Association, Minas Gerais Section – OAB/MG
• Carlos Augusto Moreira, President, Pampulha Basin Restoration Consortium