Program for the Institutional Strengthening of Civil Society Organizations (ARCRR0006)

Commitment ID

ARCRR0006

Commitment Title

Program for the Institutional Strengthening of Civil Society Organizations

Problem

Throughout the Municipal Government's joint work with CSOs, the need to strengthen their functioning arises, which is often hampered by various circumstances, such as a lack of communication or recruitment strategies, or a lack of funding, management, and coordination of actions. Within the framework of the First Open Government Action Plan, this was reflected in various circumstances, such as the intermittent commitment to the Open Government Dialogue Roundtable or the inability of some organizations to accompany the entire process. An example of this occurred in the formation of the Advisory Council for the Local Climate Action Plan, where the requirement for legal status was discussed due to the number of environmental organizations that do not have one.

Status quo

Many of the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the city of Rosario have cooperative ties to the Municipal Government, and depending on their specific nature, to the corresponding secretariat. However, those that have legal status, are legally organized, and have growth strategies are the fewest. This situation creates various obstacles for them, some of which arise when they seek to participate in calls to form municipal or provincial advisory councils, and others when they attempt to apply for various local or international subsidies, competitions, or funding. Although the Municipality of Rosario already has programs and implements actions to address the problem through various strategies and legislation, they often fail to form a comprehensive plan. That's why this commitment, through Open Government and related areas, seeks to develop technical tools to help overcome these obstacles.

Action

The commitment seeks to design and implement an action plan for the "Institutional Strengthening of Civil Society Organizations". This plan will seek to train CSOs by assessing their needs based on their specific situations. This will include training courses in organizational and institutional management, internal and external communication, conflict resolution, networking, and strategies for raising public, private, and international cooperation funds, among others, with the support and guidance of experts in these areas. Finally, the program resulting from the lessons learned from the commitment will be institutionalized within the Municipality. The objective is to strengthen a broad civic space and guarantee the freedoms of association, expression, peaceful assembly, and the right to organize and act, thereby increasing their capacity to influence the exercise of citizen oversight.

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

Once implemented, the commitment will allow civil society organizations to regularize their internal situations, promote long-term work plans, improve their communication, and strengthen their international cooperation efforts. The final result will be the implementation of an Institutional Strengthening Plan for CSOs, which will increase their capacity to influence the exercise of citizen oversight. Collaterally, it will strengthen the cycle of open government action plans by generating greater critical feedback from CSOs interested in participating in the Open Government Dialogue Roundtable.

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

This commitment is related to the Open Government Strategic Vision, which continues Rosario's rich history of Citizen Participation. We focus on deepening our outreach to the citizens of Rosario, accelerating digital transformation processes, and deepening the development of public policies based on data and evidence. To deepen and renew these policies, it is essential to incorporate all stakeholders who are part of the citizenry and the Municipal Government. But simply convening is not enough; we need to strengthen and establish more collaborative ties with civil society. Furthermore, this commitment seeks to complement Strategic Objective 1 of the OGP 2023-2028 Strategy, which aims to foster a broader, more engaged, and interconnected community of open government reformers, activists, and leaders; protect and expand civic space; be a hub for innovators, evidence, and stories of open government; and, above all, promote collective action.

Primary Policy Area

Civic Space, Other/NA

Primary Sector

Cross-sectoral, Other/NA

What OGP value is this commitment relevant to?