Uruguay Results Report 2021-2023

The fifth Open Government Plan^[1] was the first to include all three branches of government. As a result of a participatory 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..., the plan incorporated commitments on innovative topics and showed good levels of completionImplementers must follow through on their commitments for them to achieve impact. For each commitment, OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) evaluates the degree to which the activities outlin... More and early resultsEarly results refer to concrete changes in government practice related to transparency, citizen participation, and/or public accountability as a result of a commitment’s implementation. OGP’s Inde... More. Although civil society participation was lower during the implementation and monitoring phases, this did not represent a problem since trust between civil society and government was maintained.

Early Results

Eighteen of the 29 commitments showed early results, and two of them achieved significant early results. 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... 17, on promoting and strengthening digital 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, adapted participation mechanisms to digital environments, opening new channels of interaction between the state and citizens. Commitment 13, on monitoring and 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 of the National 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 Plan in agricultural policies, had significant results regarding gender progress in a sector historically resistant to such issues.

It is worth noting that several commitments with moderate early results remain promising and, if implementation is deepened, could achieve greater results. These include Commitments 19, 20, and 21 on the environment; Commitment 12 on affirmative action for Afro-descendants; Commitment 6 on the Observatory for the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the State; and Commitments 1 and 2 on public procurementTransparency in the procurement process can help combat corruption and waste that plagues a significant portion of public procurement budgets globally. Technical specifications: Commitments that aim t... More and contracting. These commitments laid the foundations for deeper transformations by establishing processes and tools that, with further development, could generate significant results. Furthermore, their topics remain highly relevant and prioritized on the public agenda.

Implementation

This was a true “open state” plan, as it included not only commitments under the responsibility of various ministries and agencies within the Executive Branch, but also two commitments led by the Legislative Branch, one by the JudiciaryWhile a majority of open government reforms occur within the executive branch, OGP members are increasingly taking on commitments to increase the openness of the judicial branch. Technical specificati..., and three proposed by departmental governments. In addition to covering several areas already present in previous plans—including the continuation of some prior initiatives—it introduced new topics such as artificial intelligence, disability, aging, and 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.

Eighteen of the 29 commitments were fully or substantially implemented. The proportion of fully implemented commitments increased from 21% to 31% compared to the previous plan^[2].

The commitments with lower levels of implementation were concentrated in the areas of social, territorial, and productive development, human rightsAn essential part of open government includes protecting the sacred freedoms and rights of all citizens, including the most vulnerable groups, and holding those who violate human rights accountable. T..., and budget. Two of the three departmental commitments (Commitments 26 and 27), one from the Legislative Branch (Commitment 23), and the Judicial Branch commitment (Commitment 29) also had limited compliance.

According to government officials responsible for the commitments, the main obstacles to implementation were lack of leadership or political will at the highest institutional levels, staff turnover at the operational level, and shortages of financial or human resources. For example, staff changes during the action plan period affected two out of three commitments led by the Ministry of Social Development (MIDES). Conversely, many officials in charge of commitments expressed strong recognition of the Agency for Electronic Government and Information and Knowledge Society (AGESIC)—the government body coordinating open government processes—whose support was considered key to fulfilling the commitments^[3].

Participation and Co-Creation

The OGP process in Uruguay is coordinated by AGESIC and led by the multi-stakeholder Open Government Working Group, which includes representatives of public institutions at all levels, academia, and civil society.

The plan was co-created and implemented entirely under a new government, inaugurated in March 2020, from a different political orientation than its predecessor.

OGP standards were met both during co-creation and implementation. The Working Group met regularly and designed a co-creation process that, due to the pandemic, was carried out entirely online. The range of topics was broadened, which attracted new actors and diversified participation from civil society and public institutions. Citizens participated through dialogue tables, co-creation workshops, and via the Citizen Participation Platform^[4].

Although most commitments included collaboration with civil society during their design, participation decreased during implementation. On the other hand, there is a high level of trust and alignment between government and civil society, particularly in matters of open government and in  and in implementing the action plan’s commitments.