Day: June 26, 2024

Fundación Solidaridad presents results of the Open Budget Survey: Dominican Republic ranks number 1 in the continent in public budget participation

The Open Budget Survey, conducted by the International Budget Partnership, indicates that the country registered a 22-point increase compared to its 2021 score. During a Citizen Forum on Budgeting, the Solidarity Foundation, the organization representing the International Budget Partnership in the country, presented the General Directorate of Budget (Digepres) with the country results of the 2023 edition of the Open Budget Survey. The Dominican Republic obtained a score of 48 points in Public Participation, doubling its 2021 score. In this edition of the Open Budget Survey for the Dominican Republic, conducted by the International Budget Partnership (IBP), the results place the country fourth globally out of 125 countries and first among Latin American and Caribbean countries, according to data from the IBP's Open Budget Survey for the Dominican Republic. The survey also indicates that the Dominican Republic increased from 22 points in 2021 to 48 in 2023, registering a 26-point increase between the two measurements. This data was shared during the formal presentation of the document to the General Directorate of Budget. The Open Budget Survey (OBS) is the result of collaborative research between the International Budget Partnership (IBP) and civil society organizations in 125 countries, representing diverse regions and income levels over a 16-month period. The event was led by José Rijo Presbot, Director General of Budget; Iván Ramírez, Deputy Director General of Budget; Milagros Ortíz Bosch, Director of the General Directorate of Ethics and Governmental Integrity (DIGEIG); Rómulo Arias Moscat, Director General of Government Accounting; Derby de los Santos, Vice Minister of the Treasury; and Camila Hernández Villamán. The event was attended by Juan Carlos Arguelles, head of the Fiscal Studies Department of the General Directorate of Fiscal Analysis and Policy at the Ministry of Finance; Martín Zapata Sánchez, Vice Minister of the General Directorate of Tax Policy and Legislation; and Juan Castillo and Katia Lambis, Executive Director and Researcher, respectively, of Fundación Solidaridad. Rafael Jovine, Director of Economic Studies and Financial Budget Monitoring, explained in his opening remarks that the meeting aimed to further strengthen transparency, social oversight, and accountability regarding the country's fiscal governance and the General State Budget for the benefit of the public. For his part, Juan Castillo, from Fundación Solidaridad, explained that the Open Budget Survey is based on three fundamental pillars: transparency, participation, and oversight. “Transparency helps the public understand the government’s budget priorities; formal budget oversight by the legislative branch guides and examines budgetary options, while auditing entities evaluate the legality, efficiency, and effectiveness of public spending,” Castillo emphasized while sharing the survey results. Milagros Ortiz Bosch, director of DIGEIG, stated that receiving this international evaluation from the International Budget Partnership is highly gratifying, demonstrating that the country continues to advance in transparency and public participation. “We are working well, and these growing numbers prove it,” Ortiz Bosch affirmed. She added that for this progress to continue, citizens must demand that the laws be enforced. In his closing remarks, José Rijo Presbot expressed the government’s commitment to continuing to strengthen and empower citizens to build together the society we all want. Transparent and Participatory Budgeting: The International Budget Partnership's (IBP) Open Budget Survey is the only independent, comparative measure of budget transparency worldwide, regularly used by governments, donor agencies, and civil society organizations to inform budget reforms and other issues. Since August 2020, the General Directorate of Budget (Digepres) has implemented innovative measures and projects aimed at promoting and strengthening transparency, social oversight, and citizen participation in the budget cycle. For the first time ever, Digepres publishes a weekly report on budget execution, which details the management of public resources by the central government and is updated every Tuesday at the end of each week. Furthermore, in an effort to bring the budget closer to the public, Citizen Forums are held to address topics related to the General State Budget, its formulation, approval, execution, and monitoring, in an open forum with various sectors of civil society. The Budget Office has the institutional portal Digepres.gob.do and its social media @DigepresRD to make all budget information available to citizens.