Action plan – Córdoba (City), Argentina, 2021 – 2023

At-a-Glance

Duration

December 2023

Date Submitted

30th July 2021

Foreword(s)

The Government of the Province of Córdoba develops and guides its Open Government practices in order to achieve the Sustainable Development goalsOGP countries are experimenting with open government innovations to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 16+ which includes peaceful, just and inclusive societies.... Thereby, the work for the materialization of the 2030 Agenda is active and constitutes a permanent space for participation and collaboration with the stakeholders.

We are at a time of great uncertainty for governments, civil society and citizens as a whole; and it is in this context that two great paradigms take more relevanceAccording to the OGP Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should include a clear open government lens. Specifically, they should advance at least one of the OGP values: transparency, citizen partic... as necessary tools to accompany the current unprecedented challenges: Open Government and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. In times of crisis, 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 is established as a fundamental value to generate collective trust and promote public accountabilityAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, public accountability occurs when ”rules, regulations, and mechanisms in place call upon government actors to justify their actions, act upon criticisms ... More, a fundamental pillar in this paradigm.

The Municipality of Córdoba, following the path of the province, projects a modern, innovative, friendly and livable city, connected to the world and at the forefront in the implementation of policies with a sustainable approach. 

The health emergency found us in the midst of hard work to put the city on its feet, enhancing our capacity for resilience and constructive dialogue with all sectors. This type of crisis shows that the State is not enough by itself, networking with representatives of the political, productive, economic, scientific and civil society sectors as a whole is the essential fuel for successfully going through these times.

Today, more than ever, we are committed to modern and innovative municipal governance that provides quality services and promotes a decentralized, metropolitan, sustainable, inclusive city, a source of attraction and opportunities for all. The current scenario shows that municipal planning deserves an emergent, dynamic and flexible strategy to think and guide transformations that the city will experience in the short, medium and long term.

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?

The open government approach provides an opportunity to consolidate bonds of trust between governments and citizens, enhance participatory and collaborative channels, and generate synergies that make difficulties visible, and thus be able to design and co-create innovative solutions with sustainable and effective high impact results.

One of the greatest challenges that Córdoba faces is to develop a 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... from both the Province and the Municipality to promote more transparent and responsive public administrations, adapting services to the needs of citizens, improving the quality and scope of public goods, and strengthening relationships with different stakeholders. 

Starting from a pilot test with the Municipality of Córdoba, Freyre, Alta Gracia, Vicuña Mackenna, San José de la Dormida, the long-term objective for achieving the 2030 Agenda consists of extending a co-created action plan towards the remaining municipalities and communes, thus deepening open government processes aimed at achieving sustainable development throughout the provincial territory.

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

To achieve the objectives, the Province of Córdoba develops alliances and collaborations with its various stakeholders; Liaison tables and provincial councils are set up, generating institutional spaces through which policies are articulated with social organizations.

In “Our Profile” you will find the variety of alliances and actors with which the province co-creates policies to achieve the SDGs. Examples of government collaboration: Participation in the Third National Plan of Action of 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. 

• Implementation of the SDGs Territorialization Pilot. 
• The Ministry of Coordination carries out training for citizens on Agenda 2030 and SDGs, and Open Government.

For its part, more than two decades ago the City of Córdoba began to take its first steps in terms of transparency, participation and public accountability. These first steps involved moving towards the government opening by sanctioning regulations on open data: the first ordinance on access to public information, Ordenanza 10.560, was enacted in 2002. Then progress was made with the creation of an active Transparency Portal that allows users to view the main government actions. In addition, the creation of a Goal Plan was implemented, a citizen information and planning tool that contains a document in which the main actions and achievements are detailed, making the management programs transparent; they are published on the web. 

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

On one hand, the Province of Córdoba understands that one of its greatest challenges is to develop a strategy for raising awareness and participation of stakeholders and citizens regarding the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. Therefore, there is a need for comprehensive data opening in relation to local management and in each of the four municipal governments.

On the other hand, the Municipality of Córdoba understands that its main challenge is to achieve an improvement in open government by working towards the construction of a modern and innovative municipality. A local State is projected that meets the demands of an active and responsible citizenry, that seeks to constantly improve the attention to the neighbor through the systematization and digitization of processes and procedures for a transparent, agile and paperless administration.

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

The Government of Córdoba proposes to work towards an Open Government oriented towards the achievement of the SDGs, understanding the Open Government paradigm as a fundamental axis to fulfill the Objectives of the 2030 Agenda; since it implies a new form of governance that favors transparency, promotes the traceability of political decisions and directly involves citizens in the cycle of public policies aimed at sustainable development. In this way, Open Government becomes a vehicle in the implementation of the SDGs. 

The Municipality of the Province of Córdoba proposes to work towards an open government directing its action plan to achieve the following objectives: Promote digitization and modernization for greater transparency and municipal agility; improve neighbor service; generate initiatives that promote responsible citizenship; and optimizing the processes for organizing, updating and accessing municipal regulations.

To achieve them, four commitments were formulated in line with the values of open government, that is, transparency, public accountability, 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 technology and innovation. In this way, the Municipality of Córdoba is committed to: strengthening the neighbor service channels through the use of multichannel technologies and platforms, redesigning the digital ecosystem to improve or optimize the experience and navigability, provide a digital application where they can report incidents, claims and complaints of different kinds.

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

The action plans proposed by the Province and the Municipality of Córdoba contribute to achieving the vision of open government since they promote a management model with emphasis on data opening for the definition of objectives and the monitoring of indicators and goals; achieving effective information for decision making and improving the measurement of the impact of public policies, actions and programs; directing the achievements to the needs of the territory. 

The territorialization of the SDGs encourages partnerships, generating opportunities for collaboration between the government (national, provincial, municipalities) and 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... More, civil society organizations, universities and citizens. 

Finally, it allows better communication of public actions in an integrated manner and in line with an international agenda.

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

Recognizing that the 2030 Agenda marks the course of world development programs towards 2030, and assuming the commitment to align the government’s actions to them, Córdoba is committed to mobilizing the necessary means for the adaptation of the goals, the alignment of the programs and the construction of indicators to measure and evaluate government initiatives. 

They seek to consolidate the paths already undertaken by guaranteeing social 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..., focusing an action plan in favor of people and sustainable economic growth, based on the strengthening of institutions. Assuming the 2030 Agenda as the central axis and the vision of Open Government as a Provincial and Municipal Government plan, encourages strengthening the alliances that the government achieved to consolidate this process of adapting the global goals to the local reality.

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.

• Institutional Strengthening Secretariat, Ministry of Coordination, Province of Córdoba
• Secretary of Planning, Modernization and International Relations, Municipality of Córdoba

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

From the beginning of the participation in a consortium between the Province of Cordoba and the Municipality of Cordoba in the Local OGP process, a collaboration and association agreement was initiated to carry out the co-creation of the Action Plan, which implied promoting spaces for the co-creation of different initiatives aimed at meaningful open government.

The Province advanced in the convocation of the Ministry of Women and the Cordoba Young Agency to accompany the perspectives that are axes of the Plan: 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, youthRecognizing that investing in youth means investing in a better future, OGP participating governments are creating meaningful opportunities for youth to participate in government processes. Technical ... More and diversities. In agreement with the NGOs that accompanied the process, Fundeps and Pares, it was decided to expand the Multi-stakeholder ForumRegular dialogue between government and civil society is a core element of OGP participation. It builds trust, promotes joint problem-solving, and empowers civil society to influence the design, imple... with the participation of the Young Feminist Ensemble.  The link was made with the Government Ministry, for the selection and convocation of municipalities that would be part of the group of pilot cases. It was agreed, with the referents of each participating locality and the civil organizations of the same, the modality of participation, the commitments and the methodology to be applied.

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.

The team from the Secretariat for Institutional Strengthening, in agreement with Civil Society organizations, decided to carry out a virtual process of co-creation. Weekly virtual meetings were held at the “small work table”, with this mechanism, new actors were identified that would be part of the process, thus creating the Multi-stakeholder Forum, where the definition of the Monitoring Entity was carried out, the municipalities that will be part of the territorial approach of the SDGs were selected.

The Municipality of Córdoba carried out two theoretical-practical guided workshops focused on the generation of ideas or potential solutions, in an environment of collaboration and joint creation, to respond to the challenges posed. They debated, “How to improve communication between citizens and the Municipality of Córdoba”, and “How to achieve greater citizen satisfaction when paying” were carried out using different agile methodologies (For example: brainstorming and analogy).

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

To guarantee the diversity of citizen representation in the co-creation spaces, the Province guaranteed an open space through:

• Announcement opened by various communication channels, with the support of the Córdoba Young Agency  and the Ministry of Women to guarantee the participation of related sectors; Members of different civil society organizations were invited (point 5.5) to learn about their vision, needs and ideas, and based on these contributions, proceed to formulate commitments that respond to the general public.
• Choice of municipalities in relation to their geographical, sociodemographic and political diversity in the provincial territory; Representatives of local governments participated, referencing their territorial particularities.

Who participated in these spaces?

In the co-creation spaces carried out by the Province of Cordoba, members of the Secretariat for Institutional Strengthening of the Ministry of Coordination, civil organization Fundeps, Consultora Pares, monitoring entity: Open University Program, National University of Cordoba (UNC), Córdoba Young Agency, Ministry of Woman, civil organization Citizen Network our Córdoba, Government Ministry, referents of the five participating municipalities (Freyre, San José de la Dormida, Vicuña Mackenna, Alta Gracia and Municipality of Cordoba), and civil society organizations.

In the co-creation spaces carried out by the Municipality of Córdoba, members of: AIESEC; Aipha-G; entrepreneur associations; Fundación Gen E; Global Shapers Córdoba; IERAL; Red Ciudadana Nuestra Córdoba; Vectus S.R.L., ADEC; Apyme Córdoba; Asociación de Industriales de la Alimentación de Córdoba; Biciurbanos; Representatives of industrial and business Chambers; representatives of University Institutions; Fundación Tierra Vida, Grupo proaco, Incubadora Feminista and civil association Somos Pares.

How many groups participated in these spaces?

30

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...?

10

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

The Province and the Municipality of Córdoba will be in charge of carrying out the implementation of the open government action plan in the territory. In this sense, the Municipality of Córdoba will advance by sharing with non-governmental organizations those elements, execution schedules and progress that are being made. In this sense, non-governmental organizations will have a monitoring and analysis role, making periodic contributions on their vision of the process.

In the case of the Province, progress will be made in the contribution and development of the methodology to encourage territorialization in the different Municipalities. Non-governmental organizations in tune with the Córdoba Young Agency and the 

Ministry of Women of the Province, will contribute on 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 the perspectives proposed to address the process: gender, diversities and youth. All the actions will be in conjunction with the Municipalities that are part of this first test.

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

To carry out the monitoring of the Action Plan, the Province of Córdoba made an agreement with the  Secretariat for Innovation in Management of the National University of Cordoba, specifically with the Open University Program, the role of the University being important in the imaginary of any new state, in the search for greater and better citizen engagement, democracy and co-government, fostering greater co-responsibility and forging the quality of citizen involvement. 

On the other hand, the Municipality of Córdoba made an agreement with the Instituto de Investigaciones de la Bolsa de Comercio. This institute is a center for studies on the economic and social reality of Argentina, contributes to knowledge about the economic situation of the country in various fields and proposes solutions for decision-making in the public and private sectors through competitiveness studies and analysis.

Provide the contact details for the independent monitoring body.

• Facundo Barrionuevo, Program Leader, facundo.barrionuevo@unc.edu.ar
• Lucas Navarro, Instituto de Investigación de la Bolsa de Comercio de Córdoba, lnavarro@bolsacba.com.ar

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

Periodic progress reports will be made by the province and municipality, which will be reported to said organizations, who will be in charge of evaluating the process, verifying its correct compliance, and making a return in which the weaknesses and points to improve in the execution. From the province there is a record of all the weekly meetings that were carried out throughout the process with the Multiactoral Forum. In addition, the previews share a board from the Trello platform. During the co-creation stage, a monthly progress report has been sent to the monitoring entity, in addition to having access to shared documents. These instances will be replicated during the execution of the Action Plan.

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

The activities and actions that were carried out and that will be carried out throughout the process will be published on the portal http://gestionabierta.cba.gov.ar/ in the particular case of the Province, and on  https://gobiernoabierto.cordoba.gob.ar/ in the case of the Municipality.

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

The results of both monitoring entities will be published on the website of the Ministry of Coordination http://gestionabierta.cba.gov.ar/ and in the portal https://gobiernoabierto.cordoba.gob.ar/, where, in addition, the progress of the processes of both co-creation and execution of the Action Plan are constantly published.

Endorsement from Non-Governmental Stakeholders

• Silvia Corbalan, Executive Director, Pares
• Nina Sibilla, Coordinator of Democracy and Institutional Quality, Fundeps
• Martina Aguirre, Project Coordinator, Young Feminist Ensemble
• Emiliano Arena, monitoring and evaluation coordinator, CIPPEC

OGP Local Plan of Action Province of Cordoba and Municipality of Cordoba
Link