Fostering an Open State to Strengthen Institutions (ARBA0011)

Commitment ID

ARBA0011

Commitment Title

Fostering an Open State to Strengthen Institutions

Problem

Currently, the three branches of government face difficulties in ensuring equitable, clear, and efficient access to public information, which obstructs engagement with citizens and weakens trust in institutions.

The five bodies in the Judicial Branch publish information, but each body follows different criteria, making it difficult for the citizens to access and understand the information. Additionally, the High Court of Justice also faces the challenge of connecting with citizens through transparency and accountability mechanisms. In the case of the Legislature, although a large amount of information is available to the public, it is dispersed and poorly organized, which results in slow and inefficient access to information. As for the Executive Branch, while there are transparency mechanisms such as the Gift Disclosure System, there is a low level of compliance and adherence by government officials.

Status quo

The three branches of government have existing tools to promote active transparency and accountability. At the same time, citizens are increasingly exercising their right to access information, which demands more coordinated, accessible, and citizen-centered institutional responses.

In the Judicial Branch, various bodies have begun implementing open justice policies and launching their own data publication platforms, but  without shared standards or criteria. In the Legislature, although there is an abundance of available information, significant challenges remain. This was highlighted by the Latin American Index of Legislative Transparency (2016), which assigned it an average score of 38%. In the Executive Branch, mechanisms such as the Gift Disclosure System (Law 6,357) exist to organize information about public officials; however, low registration rates persist due to a lack of awareness about the process.

Action

Promote an Open State approach by improving access, organization, and understanding of public information across the three branches of government. This includes redesigning digital platforms to be more accessible and inclusive (such as the Legislature’s website), publishing standardized and reusable data on jurisdictional and budgetary activities (as implemented by the Supreme Court), creating public repositories of freedom of information requests (within the Judiciary), and strengthening compliance with accountability mechanisms such as the Gift Disclosure System (in the Executive Branch). These initiatives will be evaluated and continuously improved with the participation of citizens and civil society organizations.

How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem described above?

This proposal aims to develop tools that guarantee citizens access to clear, reliable, and accessible information by defining data publication standards, improving the accessibility of existing platforms, and providing training and outreach materials about the Gifts Registry System. The commitment foresees the active participation of citizens and civil society organizations from the design stages through to implementation, ensuring that the solutions address their real needs. This participation will strengthen institutional integrity and public trust by building a more transparent and approachable government, whose policies are consulted on and embraced by those who helped create them.

What long-term goal as identified in your Open Government Strategy does this commitment relate to?

This commitment aligns with the strategic vision by promoting citizen participation in the design and implementation of tools that improve access to public information. It fosters data-driven value creation by establishing clear and accessible publication standards that enable data reuse for decision-making and civic oversight. Additionally, it drives a cultural shift within the three branches of government by incorporating open government values across the three branches.

Primary Policy Area

Audits & Controls, Right to Information

Primary Sector

Justice, Legislature

What OGP value is this commitment relevant to?