Improve the Transparency and Local Gov Openness (TN0024)
Overview
At-a-Glance
Action Plan: Tunisia Second National Action Plan 2016-2018
Action Plan Cycle: 2016
Status: Inactive
Institutions
Lead Institution: Ministry in charge of local affairs
Support Institution(s): NA
Policy Areas
Access to Information, Capacity Building, Open Data, SubnationalIRM Review
IRM Report: Tunisia End-of-Term Report 2016-2018, Tunisia Mid-Term Report 2016-2018
Starred: No
Early Results: Did Not Change
Design i
Verifiable: Yes
Relevant to OGP Values: Access to Information
Implementation i
Description
Improve the transparency and local Gov Openness
IRM Midterm Status Summary
4. Improve transparency and local government openness
Commitment Text:
Developing practical mechanisms to facilitate the access to information and enshrine the principles of accountability and participation in the design and implementation of programs and projects at the local level.
Milestones:
- Drafting a practical guide to explains the principles of open government and various applications at the local level in order to encourage projects and initiatives which could be launched in this field.
- The development of an electronic platform for open data at the local level
Responsible institution: Services of governance, Presidency of the government, Ministry of local affairs and environment.
Supporting institution(s):
As mentioned in the NAP: Tunisian Association for Local Governance
As evaluated: Tunisian Association for Local Governance, Article 19, ATCP, FSVC
Start date: June 2016 End date: July 2018
Context and Objectives
Decentralization is part of the main political agenda of post-revolution Tunisia. The Tunisian constitution introduced the principles of decentralization through 12 articles. [20] Historically, local affairs were always part of the powerful Ministry of Interior. However, since 2016, the Tunisian government, under Prime Minister Habib Essid separated local affairs to a dedicated ministry. The first Minister of Local Affairs was Youssef Chahed, the Prime Minister at the time of writing this report.
In 2014, Tunisia drafted the “Urban Development and Local Governance Program” planning to finance it through a loan from the World Bank. [21] On October 2015, the program was officially launched [22] with a budget of 1,220 million TND (USD 530 million), with a USD 263 million loan from the World Bank. [23] This program aims to support local authorities and build their capacities by developing mechanisms for financial management, and reinforce the relationship with citizens to foster inclusiveness.
The reform of local affairs went through multiple complicated steps. The government merged and created new municipalities through decrees and planned to have local elections since 2014. These were postponed four times and were re-planned for May 2018. [24] Yet, the “code of municipalities”, to regulate municipalities, is not ready yet and the Tunisian parliament is being particularly slow in passing this major reform. Critics were severe about holding local elections without the code.
A website for local municipalities was developed as part of the “Urban Development and Local Governance Program” in 2015. This website includes open data, however, without any codebook accompanying the csv and excel files. The mid-term government self-assessment report does not mention if this portal was part of the commitment.
This commitment is relevant to the OGP value of access to information. Its specificity is medium, and it has a minor potential impact. Having a platform and a guide without having trained personnel at the local level means that this commitment is not likely to lead to major impact.
Completion
This commitment is not started. Neither a draft for a practical guide nor a platform for open data have been developed.
The government has prioritized organizing municipal elections and completing the fundamental laws related to local municipalities. Moreover, after the government change in 2016, Prime Minister Chahed, who was the Minister of Local Affairs, merged his former ministry with the Ministry of the Environment. This resulted in changes of multiple heads of departments.
The self-assessment report mentions that the Ministry of Environment and Local Affairs will put this commitment under the Tunisian-French cooperation to provide enough funding to execute the project.
Next Steps
Commitments related to Open Local Governance are important to the Tunisian democratic transition and the decentralization process. Therefore, if not completed under this action plan, this commitment should be expanded, clarified and carried forward. The IRM researcher recommends the following:
- Ensure this commitment is part of the Urban Development and Local Governance Program.
- Familiarize the upcoming municipal councils (the ones that will be elected in 2018) with open government principles.
- Involve the to-be-elected local officials following the local elections in May 2018 and develop a pilot project with limited municipalities across the country. This could be done with the municipalities of Tunis, Sousse, Marsa and Bizerta from the coastal regions, as well as the municipalities of interior regions such as Tozeur, Sidi Bouzid, Seliana and Kasserine.
IRM End of Term Status Summary
4. Improve the transparency and local Gov Openness
Commitment Text:
In accordance to the new constitution that calls for supporting decentralization and devoting transparency and local governance, this commitment will allow developing practical mechanisms to enshrine the principles of accountability and participation in the design and implementation of programs and projects at this level.
Milestones:
- Drafting a practical guide to explains the principles of open government and various applications at the local level in order to encourage projects and initiatives which could be launched in this field.
- The development of an electronic platform for Open data at the local level
- Choose at least a Municipality to establish open data system at the local level according to a certain number of criteria.
- The development of an open data system,
- Communication about the system and assisting citizens, especially the inhabitants in the concerned municipality to access it.
Responsible institution: Services of governance, Presidency of the government, Ministry of local affairs and environment.
Start date: June 2016 End date: July 2018
Editorial Note: This is an abbreviated version of the commitment text. For the full commitment text from the Tunisia National Action Plan, see here.
Commitment Aim:
This commitment intended to arrange for providing practices and tools for open government principles at the local level. The commitment entails two activities: the creation of a website for the Open data platform at the local level and the drafting of a practical guide about the best practices of good governance and open government.
Status
Midterm: Not Started
The continuous delay of the local elections significantly impacted the implementation of this commitment. The restructure of the government and creation of the new Ministry of Local Affairs and Environment that was supposed to take charge of the implementation of this commitment also contributed to this delay. As of the midterm, the implementation of the milestones did not start.
End of term: Limited
According to the OGP focal points in the Tunisian Government, a guide had been drafted by the Ministry of Local Affairs, but it was still waiting for approval at the end of the action plan implementation period. The IRM researcher could not access the draft to verify its content. Regarding the development of an electronic platform for Open data, the IRM researcher found that a portal [33] had existed since 2015. During this implementation cycle, only a tab was added to the portal, which was a minor modification. The data available on the portal is neither accompanied with a codebook nor a reference to the dates of creation, publication or modification date. The data does not include detailed information about budget, but rather includes a sum of all the expenditure on one entry and the rows of entries do not include the related dates. The completion of this commitment is therefore limited.
Did It Open Government?
Access to Information: Did Not Change
The commitment aimed to encourage practices of good governance and open government at the local level and the creation of an Open data portal. This commitment is part of the broader decentralization strategy that the central government is undertaking to delegate further power to local governments while improving their governing capacities. However, with the limited steps taken for the implementation of this commitment there was no change to government practice.
Carried Forward?
The commitment was not carried forward to the next action plan.
Commitments
-
Right to Information
TN0036, 2018, Access to Information
-
Open Data Framework
TN0037, 2018, Access to Information
-
Access to Geographic Information
TN0038, 2018, Access to Information
-
Open Transport Data
TN0039, 2018, Access to Information
-
Improve Water Resource Governance
TN0040, 2018, E-Government
-
Join EITI
TN0041, 2018, Anti-Corruption
-
Open Contracting in Hydrocarbons
TN0042, 2018, Access to Information
-
Anti-Corruption Framework
TN0043, 2018, Anti-Corruption
-
Participatory Budgeting
TN0044, 2018, Anti-Corruption
-
Youth Participation
TN0045, 2018, Marginalized Communities
-
Implement Initiatives to Apply the OGP at the Local Level
TN0046, 2018, E-Government
-
Online Administrative Services
TN0047, 2018, Capacity Building
-
Access to Civil Service
TN0048, 2018, Capacity Building
-
Joining the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative "EITI"
TN0021, 2016, Anti-Corruption
-
Modernizing the Regulatory Framework to Enforce The Right To Access to Information
TN0022, 2016, Access to Information
-
The Completion of the Legal and Regulatory Framework of Open Data at the National Level
TN0023, 2016, Access to Information
-
Improve the Transparency and Local Gov Openness
TN0024, 2016, Access to Information
-
Enhance the Transparency in the Cultural Sector : “Open Culture”
TN0025, 2016, Access to Information
-
Enhance the Transparency in the Environment and Sustainable Development Sector
TN0026, 2016, Access to Information
-
Enhancing Transparency in the Transport Sector
TN0027, 2016, Access to Information
-
Promoting Financial and Fiscal Transparency
TN0028, 2016, Fiscal Openness
-
Elaborating a Legal Framework for Citizen’S Petitions
TN0029, 2016, Capacity Building
-
Developing an Integrated Electronic Civil Petition and Corruption Reporting Platform
TN0030, 2016, Anti-Corruption
-
Developing New Mechanisms to Promote Interaction with the Youth and Enable Them to Pursue Dialogue About Public Policies
TN0031, 2016, Capacity Building
-
Adopting the Corporate Governance Referential on the Sectoral Level
TN0032, 2016, Capacity Building
-
Developing Mobile Applications Which Could Be Downloaded on the Mobile Phone to Reinforce Transparency of Government Activities and Participatory Approach
TN0033, 2016, Capacity Building
-
Enhancing Access to the Archive
TN0034, 2016, Capacity Building
-
The Development of an Electronic Mechanism to Ensure Transparency of Public Servants Recruitment
TN0035, 2016, Capacity Building
-
Strengthening Legal Framework for Corruption Fight
TN0001, 2014, Anti-Corruption
-
Developing an Integrated Electronic Civil Petition and Corruption Reporting Platform
TN0002, 2014, E-Government
-
Publishing an Annual Report on Audit Activities in Public Sector
TN0003, 2014, Anti-Corruption
-
Review of the Legal Framework of Personal Data Protection and Ensuring Conformity with Article 24 of Tunisian Constitution
TN0004, 2014, Access to Information
-
Developing an Open Data Portal
TN0005, 2014, Access to Information
-
Preparing a National Corporate Governance Repository
TN0006, 2014, E-Government
-
Establishing a Legal Framework That Regulates Communication and Interaction Within Public Sector and Between Public Structures and Citizens with Usage of ICT
TN0007, 2014, E-Government
-
Simplifying Administrative Procedures
TN0008, 2014, E-Government
-
Develop a Number of Administrative Services On-Line
TN0009, 2014, E-Government
-
Enhancing People Participation in the Decision-Making Process
TN0010, 2014, E-Government
-
Capacity-Building of Civil Servants and Citizens in the Area of Open Governance
TN0011, 2014, Capacity Building
-
Creation of a Structure Specialized in Training in the Governance Area
TN0012, 2014, Capacity Building
-
Publication of Budget Reports
TN0013, 2014, Anti-Corruption
-
Development of the Open Budget System
TN0014, 2014, Fiscal Openness
-
Use of the Data Extracted from the Application Dedicated to Budget Management (Adeb) in Public Sector
TN0015, 2014, Anti-Corruption
-
Publication of Reports Related to Attribution and Execution of Public Procurement and Audit Results
TN0016, 2014, Anti-Corruption
-
Publication of Recommandations Included in Audit Reports of Public Procurement
TN0017, 2014, Anti-Corruption
-
Development of an "Open Data" Platform Dedicated to Information Dealing with Oil and Mine Sector Investment
TN0018, 2014, Access to Information
-
Improve Transparency in the Area of Infrastructure Projects
TN0019, 2014, Access to Information
-
Devoting Transparency in the Environment Field
TN0020, 2014, Access to Information