End of Commitment Report – Improve the flow of information with citizens regarding cleaning complaints

Name of Evaluator

Juan José Prada

Email

[email protected]

Member Name

Montevideo, Uruguay

Action PlanAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... Title

Action plan – Montevideo, Uruguay, 2023 – 2025

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...

Improve the flow of information with citizens regarding cleaning complaints

Title

Improve the flow of information with citizens regarding cleaning complaints

Action

Implementation of a differential response system and citizen dialogue in response to repeated complaints of overflowing containers and explaining the actions taken.

Problem

Communicate to citizens the cleaning and collection actions that are being carried out based on the requests or complaints that are entered.

1.1 What was the overall level of progress in the commitment implementation at the time of this assessment?

substantial

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The commitment had three main milestones: 1) identifying complaints, their response time, the type of information provided, etc.; 2) implementing a differentiated response system; and finally, 3) evaluating the implemented system.
The first two milestones were achieved, but not the third, as it began with a pilot test in neighborhoods that were never fully evaluated.
However, although it was not possible to evaluate the results, given that the programs involved in the territory were implemented in the last months of 2024 and the first months of 2025, at the time of this report, there is still not enough data to carry out an evaluation, although the procedure to be carried out is already in place.

Provide evidence that supports and justifies your answer:

Environmental commitment advancements

1.2 Describe the main external or internal factors that impacted implementation of this commitment and how they were addressed (or not).

For now, all complaints or reports made by residents through the WhatsApp channel—a mechanism used for two-way communication with citizens in line with the Montevideo Más Verde (Greener Montevideo) strategy adopted by the Municipality and considered in the implementation of this commitment—are analyzed to identify, for example, areas with the highest number of complaints, the category of complaints, their evolution, etc. This analysis is published on the Montevideo Observatory (Montevidata). There, in the “Greener Montevideo Online” section, various indicators associated with the complaints above can be viewed.

Furthermore, given the diverse realities of the city’s various municipalities and neighborhoods, different response systems or programs were implemented. For this commitment, the focus was on curbside collection, which involved several changes in collection logistics and, above all, in the acceptance or rejection of the program by residents in the affected areas.

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 is key when generating these new actions, and that was perhaps the biggest challenge, and indeed a drawback, since not everyone accepted these changes. While many residents collaborated and supported this change, not everyone agreed, which means it’s impossible to generalize, even within the same neighborhood of the city.

1.3 Was the commitment implemented as originally planned?

Most of the commitment milestones were implemented as planned

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

As mentioned in the previous points, the first two milestones were met, and the third was only partially met, as it was not fully evaluated, beyond the external factors discussed in point 1.2, due to the late start in the implementation of the new system.

Provide evidence for your answer:

Environmental commitment advancements.

2.1.1. – Did the government disclose more information; improve the quality of the information (new or existing); improve the value of the information; improve the channels to disclose or request information or improve accessibility to information?

Yes

Degree of result:

Marginal

Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.

The use of the institutionally promoted WhatsApp channel was enhanced as a mechanism for reporting cleaning problems in the vicinity of household containers. On the other hand, a strategy of change was initiated precisely in the collection of some areas of Montevideo, trying to further involve the residents of the neighborhoods involved, with communication of actions either with stickers (such as the collection time in their area), as well as promoting Montevideo online with its own WhatsApp number.

Evidence:
Montevideo greener online

2.1.2. – Did the government create new opportunities to seek feedback from citizens/enable participation inform or influence decisions; improve existing channels or spaces to seek feedback from citizens/enable participation/ inform or influence decisions; create or improve capabilities in the government or the public aimed to improve how the government seeks feedback from citizens/enables participation/ or allows for the public to inform or influence decisions?

Yes

Degree of result:

Marginal

Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.

The aim was precisely to generate new opportunities for citizen feedback and to encourage their participation in issues as important as the cleanliness of their city, not only by informing but also by promoting existing channels and spaces as discussed in point 2.1.1.

Provide evidence for your answer:

Monteviedo’s 1st Open Government Action Plan Report

2.1.3 Did the government create or improve channels, opportunities or capabilities to hold officials answerable to their actions?

Not Applicable

2.1.4 Other Results

Not Applicable

2.2 Did the commitment address the public policy problem that it intended to address as described in the action plan?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The aim was to improve communication channels regarding sanitation using technology, generating feedback based on citizen participation. This was presented in the commitment statement and ultimately addressed in its implementation.

3. Provide at least one lesson or reflection relating to the implementation of this commitment. It can be the identification of key barriers to implementation, an unexpected help/hindrance, recommendations for future commitments, or if the commitment should be taken forward to the next action plan.

When the project was conceived, a single feedback mechanism for citizens was initially planned. However, during the project’s development, through the analysis of complaints and participatory processes in the field, diverse realities were identified, making it impossible to provide the same type of feedback across all areas. Therefore, several actions were considered, including:
• In-home waste containers
• Campaigns encouraging residents to deposit their waste at specific times
• Campaigns explaining the proper disposal of certain types of waste, such as yard waste.