In Mexico and elsewhere, the principle of legality demands the participation of all agencies and institutions across the public administration. Thus, Mexico’s National Institute for 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, Access to Information and Data Protection (INAI in Spanish) supports open government actions by oversight bodies of the 32 states and their 2,469 municipalities.

In the past few years, open States have been seen as approaches to distribute responsibilities among the executive, 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 legislature, as well as states and municipalities. These responsibilities are achieved through capacity design and proactive transparency, co-creation, collaboration, social innovation and accountability processes and designed to solve public issues identified by society. 

Through its co-creation strategy, which focuses on implementing the described approach, and building on the experience gained from over 140 commitments and the participation of 226 public agencies and 213 civil society organizations, the INAI has learned that to deliver the promise of an open State – at least in Mexico – it is important to take gradual steps, considering the differentiated competencies and limitations across agencies.

Credit PlaceholderPHOTO: Credit: INAI

Take the example of 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 and its different linkages to the branches of government and their agendas. Open government, for instance, defines participation as co-creation and consultation, while open justiceAn open, independent, and impartial justice system serves as a foundation for better access to justice by fulfilling all people’s civil liberties and allowing individuals to more effectively protect... defines participation through specialized means, including tools such as conversations hosted by bar associations. Finally, open Congress can be achieved when dialogues around law design are binding and made through multi-partisan legislative agreements.

 While we acknowledge the value of the open State approach in Mexico, we have learned that open government needs to be consolidated first. Then, collaboration can be initiated with other branches and municipalities, being careful not to include all stakeholders in joint goals that could break citizen and institutional will.

To show our will to gradually move toward an open State, Mexico’s fourth open government action planAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... (2019-2021), included a 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... that links the federal and local open government agendas, building a national strategy toward consolidating an open State in Mexico in the near future. A significant number of stakeholders were consulted and we expect to have a solid proposal to build on next year.

Credit PlaceholderPHOTO: Credit: INAI

More good news: various states are working on agreements to create open Congresses and courts are endorsing the Open JusticeTo address barriers that prevent citizens from having their justice needs met, OGP participating governments are working to expand transparency, accountability, and inclusion into all systems of justi... Declaration. We are also excited to see municipalities creating dialogue spaces and even Technical Secretariats.

Since 2015, INAI has been promoting its co-creation strategy, working to gradually pave the way toward an open State, but it will not condition the processes that design and implementation stages must follow. We will keep on working.