Day: September 18, 2024

DIGEPRES shares budgeting tools within the framework of the Open Government action plan 2024-2028

With these actions, DIGEPRES reaffirms its commitment to fostering a culture of openness and transparency in the management of public resources. The General Directorate of Budget (DIGEPRES), as part of its commitment to transparency and citizen participation, shared the set of budgetary tools it has available to make the public budget more visible within the framework of the co-creation of the Dominican Republic's Sixth Action Plan for the Open Government Partnership (OGP) 2024-2028. This plan, promoted by the General Directorate of Ethics and Governmental Integrity (DIGEIG), aims to strengthen collaboration between the government and civil society and promote more open, inclusive, and efficient public management. During the event, Rafael Jovine, Director of Economic Studies and Financial Monitoring at DIGEPRES, presented the budgetary tools designed to improve transparency and citizen participation in the preparation, execution, and monitoring of the budget. “What we are presenting today is part of the essential toolkit to ensure that the budget process is more accessible and understandable for citizens, thus enabling greater oversight and collaboration in public decision-making,” Jovine stated in her presentation. The dissemination of the budget toolkit was framed within the actions developed by the Open Government Partnership, an international platform that promotes the adoption of public policies focused on government openness, accountability, and citizen participation. The Sixth Action Plan 2024-2028 reaffirms the Dominican Republic's commitment to these principles, incorporating proposals that seek to transform public management and strengthen citizen trust in institutions. With the visibility of these tools, DIGEPRES reaffirms its efforts to foster a culture of openness and transparency in the management of public resources and to continue promoting mechanisms that encourage citizen participation in budget processes. The opening remarks of the event were delivered by Berenice Barinas, Executive Director of the General Directorate of Ethics and Governmental Integrity (DIGEIG), representing Dr. Milagros Ortiz Bosch, head of the agency. In addressing the attendees, she emphasized that the meeting aimed to promote new and improved spaces for dialogue with society. Similarly, Elizabet Díaz, Director of Transparency and Open Government at DIGEIG, explained the importance of the Open Government Partnership, an international platform that promotes the adoption of public policies focused on government openness, accountability, and citizen participation. This platform also incorporates proposals that seek to transform public administration and strengthen public trust in institutions. The initiative is part of the Dominican Republic's Multi-Stakeholder Forum for Open Government, a space for ongoing dialogue and collaboration between the Dominican government, civil society, and other non-governmental actors. The event was attended by representatives of civil society, non-governmental organizations, and various stakeholders involved in issues related to health, the environment, public services, citizen participation, education, citizenship, the digital divide, justice, transparency and open data, and vulnerable groups. Participants were able to learn firsthand about initiatives and progress in open budgeting. Attendees emphasized the importance of these actions as a fundamental step toward consolidating a more transparent and participatory government. Through these Citizen Encounters, DIGEPRES reaffirms its commitment to fostering a culture of openness and transparency in the management of public resources and to continuing to promote mechanisms that encourage citizen participation in budgeting processes. At the event, held at the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), copies of the 2024 Citizen Budget and Law 80-23, the General State Budget, were distributed.