Inception Report – Action plan – Pichincha, Ecuador, 2024 – 2027
- Action Plan: Action plan – Pichincha, Ecuador, 2024 – 2027
Overview
Name of Evaluator
Dr. Fernando Garcés Velásquez, Director del programa de Antropología
Member Name
Pichincha, Ecuador
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 government ... Title
Action plan – Pichincha, Ecuador, 2024 – 2027
Section 1.
Compliance with
co-creation requirements
1.1 Does a forum exist?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
To co-create the First Pichincha Open Government Action Plan 2025–2027, 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... was established, bringing together governmental and non-governmental actors, civil society representatives, young people, representatives of the productive sector, community leaders, and representatives of priority attention groups and diverse communities. The forum became a space for interaction, joint development and contributions to defining proposals and identifying needs, ultimately leading to the First Open Government Action Plan. Eleven meetings were held to develop and review the action plan until the final version was produced. Members were recruited through email outreach and through Prefecture departments that work directly with different social stakeholders, which were asked to contact and identify representatives. The overarching aim is to strengthen the open government model and promote increasingly transparent public administration, 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 more ... More and public innovation through the co-creation of action plans with key stakeholders, improving 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 public,... More, participation and public management.
1.2 Is the forum multi-stakeholder?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The Pichincha Open Government Multi-Stakeholder Forum was organized through an invitation to different stakeholders in society so that diverse interests, perspectives and opinions could be reflected in the Open Government Action Plan. Invitations focused primarily on representatives of productive sectors, including the Popular and Solidarity Economy; academia; citizens; leaders of social organizations, especially those representing priority attention groups and gender-related interests; young people; civil society; and various departments of the Pichincha Prefecture, including staff from the Planning Directorate, the Secretary of the Transparency Committee, the Citizen Participation Directorate and the 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 Directorate. Once the forum had been established and its activities defined, the co-creation of the action plan began using a participatory methodology. This approach sought to ensure active public representation, identify needs and possible solutions, and formulate commitments that respond to those needs within the powers of the Pichincha Prefecture.
1.3 Does the forum hold at least one meeting with civil society and non-governmental stakeholders during the co-creation of the action plan?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
A total of eleven events were held to develop the First Pichincha Open Government Action Plan, including multi-stakeholder forum sessions and in-person and virtual working meetings, with approximately 240 participants from civil society, academia, and governmental and non-governmental organizations. An initial meeting of forum members took place via Zoom on September 26, 2024. Six working sessions followed in September and October 2024, both online and in person, to gather proposals and identify needs. To reach more people and address physical barriers and mobility challenges in rural areas, a digital public consultation was conducted using an online form. It received 73 proposals, which were consolidated into eight specific proposals. These were then grouped by topic and assessed against feasibility, scope and sustainability criteria. The multi-stakeholder forum met on October 9, 2024, followed by an expanded forum meeting. The resulting inputs were used to turn proposals into commitments for the First Pichincha Open Government Action Plan, with forum members, Provincial Government representatives and civil society participating in two rounds of action-plan review in October and November 2024. The process culminated in the in-person presentation of the First Pichincha Open Government Action Plan on November 14, 2024, attended by 200 people.
1.4 Has the action plan been endorsed by the stakeholders of the forum or steering committeeThe Steering Committee is OGP’s executive decision-making body. Its role is to develop, promote and safeguard OGP’s values, principles and interests; establish OGP’s core ideas, policies, and rules; a.../group?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The First Pichincha Open Government Action Plan 2025–2027 began with contributions from productive sectors, academia, citizens, social organization leaders, priority attention and gender groups, civil society organizations and representatives of different Pichincha Prefecture departments. Eleven consultation and co-creation events were organized. The resulting information was used to prioritize issues discussed by the thematic working group and validate the co-creation methodology. The working meetings and multi-stakeholder forum involved 240 participants, while the subsequent digital public consultation received 73 proposals. All this information was shared, enriched and approved during successive meetings until the final document was completed.
Section 2.
Recommended practices
in co-creation
2.1 Does the government maintain a Local OGP website or webpage on a government website where information on the OGP Local process (co-creation and implementation) is proactively published?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The Prefecture of Pichincha has a website with a transparency section, which already represents progress toward access to information. In addition, the website has a dedicated Open Government section under the participation tab, where the First Pichincha Open Government Action Plan 2025–2027 is available. This section has been enabled with the intention of uploading information on the implementation of the Action Plan.
2.2 Did the government provide information to stakeholders in advance to facilitate informed and prepared participation 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...?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The Prefecture of Pichincha provided information in advance to facilitate informed participation. This was done through a preliminary virtual meeting (via Zoom) with members of the Multi-Stakeholder Forum on September 26, 2024. The session presented an overview of the process, the objectives of establishing the forum, the guidelines to be followed, and the thematic areas of action within the Prefecture’s remit. The purpose was to prepare participants and obtain initial feedback on the Action Plan.
2.3 Did the government ensure that any interested member of the public could make inputs into the action plan and observe or have access to decision-making documentation?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
In keeping with its 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 Open Government principles, the Prefecture of Pichincha implemented an innovative, remote mechanism to ensure the broadest and most inclusive possible participation. Recognizing significant barriers related to distance, transportation difficulties and limited internet access at specific times, it adopted an asynchronous digital strategy. An online survey, accessible from mobile devices and computers, served as a channel for receiving contributions. This enabled residents of all parishes, including rural areas, people with reduced mobility and those with limited time, to participate at their convenience without scheduling restrictions. The strategy was specifically designed to actively include sectors historically marginalized from public deliberation, ensuring that their voices were heard and considered in policymaking. Through this channel, 73 substantive citizen proposals were received, reflecting the population’s actual needs and priorities.
2.4 Did the government proactively report back or provide written feedback to stakeholders on how their contributions were considered during the creation of the action plan?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The Prefecture of Pichincha implemented a proactive, iterative and collaborative process to inform stakeholders and incorporate their contributions into the development of the Action Plan. Although no single final validation document bearing physical signatures was issued—an approach recommended for future processes—feedback was provided continuously and tangibly through multiple formal mechanisms and deliberative dialogue spaces.
The channels established to ensure this feedback and demonstrate how contributions were considered were as follows:
1. Multi-Stakeholder Forum and Expanded Multi-Stakeholder Forum: These spaces were central to collaborative governance. Sessions not only gathered input but also presented successive versions of the Action Plan. Discussions focused on how proposals from civil society, academia and government representatives were being incorporated into the commitments, allowing real-time, consensus-based adjustments.
2. Sectoral Working Groups with Multi-Stakeholder Forum representatives: Technical working sessions were convened to explore specific issues in depth. Draft commitments were shared and discussed, enabling specific written feedback (meeting minutes and comments on shared documents) to be incorporated directly into the texts.
3. Iterative review of the draft Plan: The process included two formal, widely publicized reviews of the full draft Action Plan. Each revised version visibly reflected input received in the previous round. This practice itself constituted proactive written feedback by demonstrating concretely how observations were translated into specific changes to the public document.
4. Sharing and consensus in meetings: All inputs, needs, proposals and ideas were duly shared and discussed at plenary meetings of the Multi-Stakeholder Forum. The final Action Plan is therefore the result of collectively achieved consensus, in which each participant could see their concerns reflected and addressed in the agreed text.
The feedback mechanism was not a final administrative act (signing a document), but an ongoing part of the co-creation methodology. Evidence of how contributions were considered lies in meeting minutes, comparative versions of the Plan’s drafts, and the final document itself, which resulted from agreement among the multiple stakeholders involved in these spaces.
2.5 Was there an iterative dialogue and shared ownership between government and non-governmental stakeholders during the decision making process, including setting the agenda?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The co-creation of the Action Plan was characterized by genuine iterative dialogue and shared ownership of its results between government and non-governmental stakeholders. This collaborative commitment underpinned agenda-setting and decision-making at every stage and was realized through the following actions:
1. Joint agenda-setting: The priority topics making up the Action Plan were not determined unilaterally by government. Instead, they arose directly from the inputs, needs and proposals gathered through the Multi-Stakeholder Forum and sectoral working groups. Non-governmental stakeholders played a leading role in identifying public-interest issues to be addressed, thereby defining the agenda collaboratively.
2. Iterative and constructive dialogue: The process was designed to encourage two-way, ongoing communication. Rather than a one-off consultation, it consisted of successive discussions in which each draft version of the Plan was presented, debated, enriched and subsequently revised. This feedback cycle (documented by two formal Plan reviews) ensured continuous dialogue and tangible responses to each contribution in the next version.
3. Consensus-based decision-making: The methodology used in all forums (the Multi-Stakeholder Forum, expanded forum and working groups) was based on consensus-building. Decisions on thematic priorities, the specific content of commitments and their targets were made collectively. Government served as facilitator and coordinator, while stakeholders jointly decided the direction and content of the Plan, demonstrating shared ownership of the final product.
4. Shared ownership of the final outcome: The final Action Plan is not viewed as a government-only product but as a joint roadmap. This sense of collective authorship directly resulted from actively involving non-governmental stakeholders in deliberation and decision-making, from initial agenda-setting through finalization of the commitments.
The governance model centered on the Multi-Stakeholder Forum effectively ensured substantive iterative dialogue and fostered a strong sense of shared ownership. Non-governmental stakeholders participated in deciding which issues to include and how to address them, moving beyond the role of consultees to become active co-creators of the Action Plan.
2.6 Would you consider the forum to be inclusive and diverse?
Moderately
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
As part of implementing Open Government, and in accordance with the principles of plural participation and democratic deliberation, the Prefecture of Pichincha convened and established a Multi-Stakeholder Forum.
The forum was designed around a deliberate, broad outreach strategy intended to bring together the diverse voices and sectors of the province’s social, productive and institutional landscape. Its membership was notably diverse, achieving representation across the following dimensions:
• Productive sector: Representatives of different segments of the economy participated, with particularly strong representation from the Popular and Solidarity Economy (EPS), ensuring consideration of both conventional and alternative economic perspectives.
• Academia: Academic participation brought technical, critical and evidence-based perspectives, contributing analytical rigor.
• Social organizations and citizens: Grassroots organizational leaders and individual citizens participated, strengthening direct connections with communities.
• Gender and 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: Cross-cutting representation of priority-attention groups and gender-related constituencies was prioritized so that their specific demands and interests were included in the agenda from the outset.
• Young people: 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 representatives contributed the views, aspirations and proposals of a population group essential to the future sustainability of public policy.
• Civil society: Civil society organizations enriched the debate with their experience in public advocacy and social oversight.
• Public institutions: The forum included substantial internal participation from technical areas of the Prefecture of Pichincha, including professionals from the Planning Directorate, the Secretary of the Transparency Committee, technical staff from the Citizen Participation Directorate and experts from the Gender Directorate. This helped align citizen demands with institutional response capacity.
Once the forum had been established on these inclusive principles, the substantive phase began. A participatory methodology was implemented to support deliberation and ensure active and equitable representation of all participants. It was specifically designed to:
• Encourage equal participation by all represented sectors.
• Systematically gather stakeholders’ proposals, needs and priorities.
• Facilitate consensus-building and the identification of synergies.
Through this co-creation exercise, the First Open Government Action Plan was developed. Its collective and diverse origins make it a legitimate and representative document aligned with the real challenges and opportunities of the province of Pichincha.
Section 3.
Initial evaluation
of commitments
1 Commitment :
Diverse, active and participatory Pichincha: Co-Creation of the model of Management of intersectoral tables on rights, gender and sexual diversity generic of Pichincha.
1.1 Is the commitment verifiable?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The description of the commitment and its three milestones is clear, precise and verifiable for achieving the commitment.
1.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify 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... to OGP values?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
This commitment addresses both civic participation and access to information. On the one hand, it promotes and strengthens a space for citizen participation, sharing needs and proposals, and exchanging information that can be translated into public policies, projects and proposals for the prevention of, protection against, and response to gender-based violenceReforms that combat gender-based violence are essential for fostering an inclusive society and government that respects human rights and promotes gender equality. Technical specifications: Commitments... More affecting victims and survivors and priority-attention groups. On the other hand, these dialogue spaces make public administration more transparent and bring the community closer to the provincial government through direct access to information needed to formulate projects that promote the prevention of violations of citizens’ rights and the protection and care of citizens, particularly groups requiring priority attention.
The wording and activities described in Commitment 1 clearly establish its relevance to the core values 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 (OGP). The commitment is intrinsically aligned with the pillars of Civic Participation and Access to Information.
1. Civic Participation: The commitment goes beyond mere consultation and follows a collaborative and deliberative participation model. By promoting and strengthening multi-stakeholder dialogue spaces, it seeks to:
• Co-create solutions: Facilitate a structured exchange of needs and proposals among citizens, civil society and government, leading to specific public policies, projects and regulations.
• Empower citizens: Provide the community, particularly directly affected groups (victims, survivors and priority-attention groups), with a formal and influential channel to directly shape decisions affecting their lives.
• Ensure relevance: Ensure provincial government initiatives respond to the population’s actual, context-specific needs, thereby improving their effectiveness and legitimacy.
2. Access to Information: The commitment addresses this value proactively and in both directions:
• Proactive transparency: Dialogue spaces serve as mechanisms for making public administration transparent by exposing administrative processes, criteria and challenges to citizens.
• Information as a tool: Rather than merely publishing data, the commitment provides the community with direct access to necessary information. This makes information a practical resource and empowers non-governmental actors to formulate evidence-based projects, fostering shared responsibility for addressing public problems.
Commitment 1 is designed to put OGP values into practice comprehensively. It not only refers to those values but also proposes concrete activities that embody them: creating dialogue spaces for participation, using information as a means of collaboration, and fostering an environment conducive to accountability. Its relevance to the OGP framework is therefore evident and well justified.
1.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
a new regulationGovernment reformers are developing regulations that enshrine values of transparency, participation, and accountability in government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or reforming ..., policy, practice or requirement.
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The Prefecture of Pichincha has made several efforts to promote spaces for citizen dialogue with diverse women and LGBTI+ people in the province. Technical products have been developed, including Puntos Colibrí, “Pichincha is Diverse: A Toolkit for Strengthening Public Policies with an Equality and Non-Discrimination Approach,” and the Popular Feminist Agenda, drawing on the voices of women, diverse people and LGBTI+ people in the province. Nevertheless, Commitment 1 seeks to strengthen this citizen participation space as a platform for information exchange, encouraging the development of public policies, projects and proposals for the prevention of gender-based violence and the protection and care of victims and survivors, as well as other priority groups.
These dialogue spaces make public administration more transparent, provide the community with a means of coordination with the provincial government, and offer direct access to information needed to formulate projects that promote prevention, care and protection of citizens’ rights, particularly those of groups requiring priority attention.
1.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
will result in a change of the rules, practices or policies that govern a policy area, public sector and/or relationship between citizens and is binding or institutionalized across government or specific institution(s).
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Commitment 1 proposes a Management Model for Sectoral Working Groups of women and members of the LGBTI+ community. This represents significant progress in public policy because it aims to establish consultative public management spaces through dialogue, citizen participation and information exchange, promoting the development of public policies, projects and proposals for prevention, protection and support for victims and survivors of gender-based violence and priority-attention groups.
1.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?
The operation of the intersectoral working groups should be described in greater detail, as should the mechanisms through which public policies will subsequently be developed based on interactions within those groups.
2 Commitment :
Pichincha in action and participation for development Productive Economic: Co-creation of the management model of the table intersectoral economic and productive table of Pichincha
2.1 Is the commitment verifiable?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The description of the commitment and its three milestones is clear, precise and verifiable for achieving the commitment.
2.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevance to OGP values?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
This commitment is relevant to civic participation because it aims to develop a Management Model that will enable actions to be planned to improve dialogue spaces and publicize citizen participation processes, as well as identify potential projects needed in each territory to address productive-sector and community problems. It also calls for developing an outreach and invitation plan targeting all social sectors to communicate the proposed actions and plans and ensure citizens’ active participation throughout the territory.
2.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
a new regulation, policy, practice or requirement.
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Commitment 2 seeks to establish public consultation spaces that promote dialogue and citizen participation for information exchange and the consolidation of planning proposals, allowing efforts and resources to be aligned in projects that promote economic development and employment opportunities from society’s diverse perspectives, with the aim of improving the quality of life of Pichincha residents.
2.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
will result in a change of the rules, practices or policies that govern a policy area, public sector and/or relationship between citizens and is binding or institutionalized across government or specific institution(s).
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The proposed Management Model aims to establish advisory spaces for public administration through dialogue and citizen participation, enabling information exchange and consolidation of planning proposals so that efforts and resources can be aligned in projects promoting economic development and employment opportunities from society’s diverse perspectives.
2.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?
The operation of the intersectoral working groups should be described in greater detail, as should the mechanisms through which public policies will subsequently be developed based on interactions within those groups.
3 Commitment :
Pichincha open: Co-creation of a government platform, Pichincha Open with open information and data.
3.1 Is the commitment verifiable?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Commitment 3 and its respective milestones are clear, precise and verifiable for implementation.
3.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevance to OGP values?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment’s activities are relevant to OGP values in two main respects. First, access to information: open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici... are a powerful tool for promoting government transparency and allow decision-makers to base policies and actions on evidence, improving the effectiveness and legitimacy of decisions. Second, 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 or r... More: open data allow anyone unrestricted access to government and administrative information, fostering accountability. Transparency creates an environment less conducive to corruption because disclosure enables public oversight and social pressure.
3.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
a continuation of ongoing practice in line with existing legislationCreating and passing legislation is one of the most effective ways of ensuring open government reforms have long-lasting effects on government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or r..., policies or requirements.
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
In compliance with the Organic Law on Transparency and Access to Public Information (LOTAIP), the Prefecture of Pichincha (GADPP) has made administrative management information available to the public through the transparency module on its institutional website. This represents significant progress in transparency and access to information. However, the Open Government platform will provide free access to information in open formats, potentially delivering benefits in terms of transparency and efficiency. For local governments, data are a necessary resource for productive economic activities and development, while also promoting citizen participation.
3.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
will result in a change of the rules, practices or policies that govern a policy area, public sector and/or relationship between citizens and is binding or institutionalized across government or specific institution(s).
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The Government of the Province of Pichincha must take a further step toward transparency, going beyond legally required information and offering data that enable citizens to monitor project progress and generate inputs for economic development. Although some progress has already been made, the commitment seeks greater transparency and accessibility of information and the integration of all relevant information into this new space.
3.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?
Under this commitment, the milestones are scheduled from 2026 onward. However, it would be appropriate to begin developing the digital platform at the start of the Action Plan so that all new information can be shared and citizens can also provide contributions and feedback.
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