Develop training and education processes for effective citizen participation in Quito (ECQTO0001)

Commitment ID

ECQTO0001

Commitment Title

Develop training and education processes for effective citizen participation in Quito through the Zonal Administrations of the municipality to enhance the levels of participation and incidence in local decision-making.

Problem

Access to mechanisms and instances of citizen participation become bureaucratic and lead to the perception of an institutional structure that does not motivate and facilitate citizen interaction, nor does it generate learning; in addition, the cases of corruption that are known about the management of the public function generate feelings of weariness and low levels of commitment. The challenge lies in recognizing new forms of participation to generate citizenship, identify problems, propose solutions and consolidate feelings of belonging and ownership of the territory. In this context, weaknesses have been identified regarding the existence of training and information tools on citizen participation that is available to the population of Quito -mainly those who are not part of an academic circle- so that they can learn about concepts and the functioning of the spaces and tools for citizen participation provided for in the Metropolitan System of Citizen Participation and Social Control.

Status quo

In Quito, the last public policy report reports that 66% of the Quiteños surveyed are not part of any participation group or organization*, which suggests that the levels of citizen participation are quite low in the city; likewise, it is deduced that this may be due to the lack of interest and political training in general issues and citizen participation in particular, as well as to the utilization of citizen participation spaces, to those citizens with a higher academic background and/or who belong to specific organizations that deal with the subject. In relation to citizen participation mechanisms, only 13% of the population has participated in some mechanism, committee, or social, neighborhood, cultural, and/or sports organization. Of this 13%, 40% have had some space promoted by the Municipality*, and live mainly in the urban peripheries, where there are still unsatisfied basic needs that could motivate a greater involvement. The report also determines that among the difficulties faced by young groups is the lack of interest in getting involved in community activities and the non-renewal of leadership. Alternability* is not promoted; in this process, training and education should be strengthened to avoid the low rates of citizen participation in Quito. *Quito Cómo Vamos. Public Policy Report 6.

Action

The central objective of the commitment is to co-create, together with municipal, government, academic, and CSO actors, plural and informative spaces with greater strength on issues of citizen participation and citizen involvement, mainly in those who do not have access to the subject, or who have been distanced from it, due to various disincentives such as lack of spaces or non-renewal of leadership; This through effective inter-institutional cooperation between the different entities involved, with strong participation of the academy in the development of socialization and training in citizen participation and its effects on the wellbeing of the communities.

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

The co-creation of new strategies for the promotion of participation and training that are focused on the populations that do not know about citizen participation will contribute to having a greater number of citizens, organizations, and actors involved in the processes of citizen participation in the decision-making processes that arise for them. The program will be able to strengthen the availability of actions on citizen participation, from the theoretical and practical limits that are created relevant for the development of a kind of "school in citizen participation", which can in turn strengthen the bases on which the MDMQ influences, and that its decisions can be fed by the opinions of a good part of Quiteños who are not currently involved in participatory processes*. *Quito Cómo Vamos. Public Policy Report 6.

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

The MDMQ's vision of Open Government is that 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; which affects the design of public policies and the evaluation of the management of municipal services, through participatory and collaborative processes, requiring channels and communication tools that reduce the gaps in the administration-citizen relationship, ensuring access to information in an easy, timely, reliable and free manner.

Primary Policy Area

Inclusion, Right to Information

Primary Sector

Private Sector, Other/NA

What OGP value is this commitment relevant to?