Datasketch becomes part of Colombia's new Open State Committee

By Laura Tamia Ortiz. Published: 10 August 2021.

In 2012, after the creation of the Open Government Partnership, Colombia presented its I National Open Government Action Plan (NAP). Since then, it has completed three plans and is in the process of implementing the fourth.

From the beginning, different institutions and social organizations have been articulated through the Open State Committee. A multi-stakeholder forum aimed to develop participatory processes for planning the plans and supporting the implementation and monitoring of the NAPs.

The renewal of the Committee has been carried out in different ways over time. Those selected in the latest process have just been announced. The selection was made by a Committee of Experts, thanks to citizen input.

They chose two public entities at the national level, one entity at the sub-national level, and four civil society organizations. The new members join the Secretariat for Transparency itself, the Administrative Department of the Civil Service, and the Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies, permanent members, in this new Open State Committee.

Name	Sector
Datasketch	Civil Society
Fundación Corona	Civil Society
Corlide	Civil Society
Instituto Internacional de Estudios Políticos Anticorrupción	Civil Society
Alcaldía de Cali	Territorial Public Entity
Consejo de Estado	National Public Entity
Ministerio de Hacienda y Crédito Público	National Public Entity

We consider this process essential. It allows external actors to get involved and influence public decision-making from diverse voices, ensuring a social control to the commitments assumed by state entities. Our organization has been part of the Committee in its III Plan, has supported the process of implementation and co-created design of the IV Plan, and has given recommendations for creating public policies with an open approach.

We believe it is essential, as recommended in the first review report of the IV Plan 2020-2022 created by the independent review mechanism of OGP, to ensure an effective transition, which guarantees the effectiveness of the Committee in monitoring the plan’s activities. Especially for engagements led by institutions that are not members of the Committee.

We celebrate the selection of public entities that do not belong to the executive branch, such as the Council of State, which approved its application to be a member in a plenary session with the support of all councilors, like María del Pilar Castro, a specialized professional of the Presidency of the entity, told Datasketch.

The Committee’s responsibilities are as follows.

• Define and implement the methodology for the preparation of the Open Government Action Plans.
• Design strategies to disseminate and socialize information related to the principles of the Open Government Partnership and the Action Plans.
• Consolidate and draft the Action Plans
• Follow up on the commitments established in the Action Plan.
• Provide guidelines to promote civil society, other branches of government, academia, independent bodies, etc., participation in the formulation and follow-up of the Action Plans.
• Implement the Working Groups that may be required.
• Periodically report to the community on the progress of the Action Plan.
• Actively participate in each of the scheduled meetings.

If you want to know more about the committee or Colombia’s action plan, you can visit https://agacolombia.org (es).