Action plan – Quito, Ecuador, 2022 – 2023

At-a-Glance

Duration

May 2023

Date Submitted

14th February 2023

Foreword(s)

A responsible government provides information on its management, makes its plans, development strategies, and policies available to citizens, and promotes 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 social control.

This condition favors the rights of participation and access to information that empowers citizens to be a central part of public policies, in their different cycles, generating spaces for meeting, dialogue, and deliberation, becoming actors in the affairs and decisions of public administration.

When the principles of 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, participation, and accountability are implemented through specific rules, plans, programs, and projects, a suitable ecosystem is generated in the public administration to implement a truly open government policy.

The Municipality of the Metropolitan District of Quito, since 2014, has designed a solid regulatory framework for the implementation of open government public policy.

Since October 2020, our city is one of the 106 cities in the world that are part of the Local OGP initiative.

The Mayor’s Office of Quito, according to OGP guidelines, has concluded the process of co-creation of the Second Open Government Action Plan. This plan has a vision focused on the citizen and civil society as co-determiners of policies; co-producers of goods and services, and actors and beneficiaries of local public management.

The Second Open Government Action Plan ratifies our 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 citizenship and participatory local development. Its 5 commitments are to promote transparency, democracy, and participation, empower citizens, access public information and take advantage of new technologies, and strengthen municipal governance and is the best example that we can work together for our common purposes, in which we are co-participate and co-responsible.

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 Municipality of the Metropolitan District of Quito is an institutional reference that promotes a consolidated open government model for public performance, based on the principles of transparency, availability of information, mechanisms for citizen participation, accountability, and social control. These elements affect the design of public policies and the evaluation of the management of municipal services, through participatory and collaborative processes, providing citizens with communication channels and tools that reduce the gaps in the administration-citizen relationship, ensuring access to information in an easy, timely, reliable and free manner.

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

The regulatory framework for Open Government is as follows:

The Municipal Code, BOOK I.3 OF CITIZEN PARTICIPATION AND OPEN GOVERNMENT – TITLE I OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IN THE DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY contemplates parameters to strengthen transparency and access to public information of the local government to citizens.

The Municipal Code, BOOK I.3 ON CITIZEN PARTICIPATION AND OPEN GOVERNMENT – TITLE II OF THE METROPOLITAN SYSTEM OF CITIZEN PARTICIPATION AND SOCIAL CONTROL, promotes and regulates the Metropolitan System of Citizen Participation and Social Control.

The Municipal Code, BOOK I.3 OF CITIZEN PARTICIPATION AND OPEN GOVERNMENT – TITLE III OF OPEN GOVERNMENT IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT OF QUITO, “Object. The object of this Title is the implementation of the public policy of open government based on the principles of transparency, the openness of public data, availability of information and mechanisms for citizen participation and collaboration, accountability, and social control with the objective of influencing the construction and evaluation of public policies, activities and public services referred to in this Title.”

In addition, there is an Advisory Council made up of CSOs, academia, and the productive sector, chaired by the General Secretariat of Planning of the Metropolitan District of Quito.

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

• The challenges are to consolidate what was achieved in the first Action Plan.
• To add issues of citizen linkage with product development.
• To train citizens on open government, what it means, and what is citizen involvement.
• Guarantee access to timely, open, and transparent information through virtual and technological tools.
• Consolidate the international parameters of open parliamentEnsuring access to legislative information and creating mechanisms for public participation are critical to building an open, trusting relationship with citizens. Technical specifications: Commitments... More in the management of the Municipal Council.

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

• The Metropolitan District of Quito’s main objective is to consolidate the public policy of Open Government and institutionalize it within the management of municipal entities with processes of transparency, accountability, citizen participation, and collaboration.
• Implement the provisions of the Municipal Code regarding Open Government and give effective compliance with these regulations.
• Consolidate the Open Government Advisory Council as the space that articulates the Open Government public policy.

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

The second Open Government Action Plan is co-created within the framework of the Open Government pillars and aligns with the planning tools available to the Municipality of the Metropolitan District of Quito: the Metropolitan Development and Land Use Plan 2021-2033 and the Mayor’s Government Plan 2021-2023.

The Strategic Vision of Open Government was built in the context of the vision of the city that the Municipality of the Metropolitan District of Quito has strategically, highlighting the pillars of open government and giving a leading role to citizens in decision-making about their city.

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

The Strategic Vision of Open Government was built in the context of the vision of the city that the Municipality of the Metropolitan District of Quito has strategically, highlighting the pillars of Open Government, and giving a leading role to the citizen in decision making about the city.

Each of the commitments of the second Open Government Plan is the result of a participatory process, which responds to citizen needs and corresponds to the major objectives of the Municipality of the Metropolitan District of Quito.

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.

• Secretaría General de Planificación
• Secretaría General de Coordinación Territorial y Participación Ciudadana
• Secretaría General del Concejo Metropolitano
• Secretaría de Desarrollo Productivo y Competitividad

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

The regulations in force in the Municipality of the Metropolitan District of Quito regulate the  Open Government public policy implementation. In the Municipal Code, Book I.3 on Open Government and Citizen Participation establishes the functioning of the actors in the Open Government process, as the functioning of the Open Government Advisory Council as the highest political advisory body for planning and defining open government policies of the municipal administration.

Within the Metropolitan Council of the Municipality of Quito, the Citizen Participation and Open Government Commission is responsible for monitoring the process of convening, implementation, and management of the Advisory Council, reporting to the Metropolitan Council.

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... of the second Open Government Action Plan, the responsible and co-responsible parties signed goodwill agreements for the implementation of the commitments.

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 functional online spaces are:

The Open Government Portal (https://gobiernoabierto.quito.gob.ec).

Zonales Quito – Plataforma de Participación Ciudadana (https://zonales.quito.gob.ec/).

Citizen Proposals Tool (https://gobiernoabierto.quito.gob.ec/busca-tu-propuesta/).

Web form: The form had three fundamental components: a) personal data in attention to the regulations governing that area; b) identification of the problem and c) identification of the proposed solution.

Co-creation spaces:

Open Government Advisory Council (monthly sessions established by the regulations).

Awareness-raising sessions were held to provide participants with the necessary information to facilitate their participation, to invite them to fill out the web form, and to be part of the citizen consultation workshops.

Citizen consultation workshops worked as collective spaces for dialogue and conversation with citizens to gather their concerns, reflections, and contributions regarding the application of open government in municipal management.

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

Due to the provisions of the national and municipal governments regarding biosecurity measures and COVID-19 restrictions at that time, these spaces were developed through virtual media. The target audience was the existing participation structure through the neighborhood and parish delegations of the 9 zonal administrations in which the MDMQ is organized, and three citizen consultation workshops were held. Based on citizen needs, one of these workshops was specialized, with the participation of civil society organizations, universities, and actors in general with some kind of experience in open government issues. Representatives of vulnerable population groups were included in all the workshops, in accordance with the principles established in the mechanisms for citizen participation.

Who participated in these spaces?

The target audience was the existing participation structure through the neighborhood and parish delegations of the 9 zonal administrations in which the MDMQ is organized, and therefore three citizen consultation workshops were held. Based on citizen needs, one of these workshops was specialized, with the participation of civil society organizations, universities, and actors in general with some kind of experience in open government issues.

How many groups participated in these spaces?

32014148

How many public-facing meetings were held in the co-creation process?

34

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

The General Secretariat of Territorial Coordination and Citizen Participation, being part of the Open Government process, guarantees citizen participation through its structure and operation. The Metropolitan District of Quito has a system of citizen participation, ranging from neighborhood organizations to participatory decision-making spaces such as the Quito Assembly. In addition, civil society organizations, academia, and the productive sector are part of the Advisory Council, thus guaranteeing their permanent participation in the implementation of the Open Government public policy.

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

A methodology and a regulationGovernment reformers are developing regulations that enshrine values of transparency, participation, and accountability in government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or reforming ... for the control and follow-up of the implementation of the Open Government action plans are expected to be in place by March 2023. A consultancy is being developed, sponsored by civil society (Fundación Ciudadanía y Desarrollo) for the creation of these two instruments.

In the case of the Metropolitan District of Quito, it has a structure responsible for the action plans:

1) Secretariat of Planning of the Municipality of the Metropolitan District of Quito, as the institutional responses and leader of the process;

2) Quito’s Open Government Consultative Council, as a 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... for decision-making, process accompaniment and monitoring and supervision body; and

3) responsible municipal units and civil society organizations or universities that are counterparts of the commitments of the action plan, who participated in the design and are responsible for its implementation.

Provide the contact details for the independent monitoring body.

• Nadia Ruiz Maldonado, Secretary General of Planning/President of the Open Government Advisory Council, consejo.consultivo.ga@quito.gob.ec

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

The regulations in force regulate the monthly sessions of the Open Government Advisory Council. The dynamics of the process ensure that these sessions are the space for monitoring and verifying the progress of each of the commitments.

By March 2023, it is planned to have a methodology and a regulation for the control and follow-up of the implementation of the Open Government action plans. A consultancy is being developed, sponsored by civil society (Fundación Ciudadanía y Desarrollo) for the creation of these two instruments.

Internal mechanisms have been developed for each commitment and attributions and obligations for those responsible and co-responsible.

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

To follow up on the implementation of the commitments of the second Open Government Action Plan, there is a roadmap for each milestone, with times, activities, responsible and verifiable. This information is in a repositoryAccess to relevant information is essential for enabling participation and ensuring accountability throughout the OGP process. An OGP repository is an online centralized website, webpage, platform or ... available to the Open Government Advisory Council and is validated and verified in regular monthly sessions.

In addition, there is a link on the Open Government portal where the progress of each of the commitments of the second Open Government Action Plan can be seen (https://proyectos.quito.gob.ec/modulosga/segundo_plan.php?anio=1).

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

One of the obligations mentioned in the Open Government regulations is to elaborate a Communication Plan to socialize the whole process related to the second Open Government Action Plan. Within the Municipality of the Metropolitan District of Quito, joint work has been articulated between its entities and the Quito Advisory Council. One of the participating entities is the Secretariat of Communication, which supports communication processes at the institutional level. On the other hand, the entities that are part of the Open Government Advisory Council have their own institutional strategies that help disseminate the activities carried out within the framework of the second Open Government Action Plan.

Endorsement from Non-Governmental Stakeholders

• María Fernanda Orquera, Consejera Consultiva GA, Escuala Politécnica Nacional
• Maritza Balcázar, Consejera Consultiva GA, Universidad Central del Ecuador
• Daniel Barragán, Consejero Consultivo GA, Universidad Hemisferios
• Marcelo Espinel, Consejero Consultivo GA, Fundación Ciudadanía y Desarrollo
• Roxana Silva, Consejera Consultiva GA, Movimiento Ciudadano por la Democracia
• David Lara, Consejero Consultivo GA, Corporación Diálogos por la Democracia
• Ernesto Muñoz, Consejero Consultivo GA, Cooperativa de Vivienda Rural Oficiales de la Policía Nacional

Gobierno Abierto de Quito