EN 
ES 
The activity responds to a request from the consulting firm ABRAZA for the “Inclusive Employment Practices” program and with the support of the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University (UNPHU)
The General Budget Directorate (DIGEPRES) He held a Citizen Meeting to discuss aspects of the General State Budget (PGE) aimed at young people and adults who are part of the “Inclusive Employment Practices” program, an initiative of the consulting firm ABRAZA, which has the support of the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University (UNPHU), and which seeks to train and open up job opportunities for adults with disabilities and neurodiversity.
The opening remarks for the event were delivered by Rossana Santana, executive director of ABRAZA, who, in her welcoming address, thanked DIGEPRES and to the National Disability Council (CONADIS) for supporting and strengthening inclusion efforts in Dominican society.
During the event, Rafael Jovine, Director of Economic Studies and Financial Budget Monitoring, and facilitator of the activity, thanked the university for the invitation and proceeded to present and explain in a clear and concise manner key aspects of PGE, based on the income, expenses, collections, public services and works to be carried out by the Government throughout the national territory. “The General State Budget, in simple terms, estimates the government's income and expenses for a whole year.”Jovine explained to the participants. She also indicated that the budget has the same functionality whether we apply its criteria to a house, a company, or an entire country.
Jovine, addressing the audience, presented the citizen tools that help bridge the gap between public institutions and the public. The economist also demonstrated how to access the information compiled on the Digepres.gob.do portal, outlining the search processes step by step so that citizens can better understand how to locate publicly available information.
As part of these actions, it presented access to interactive videos, citizen meetings, documents and reports showing the state of public finances and the Citizen Budget portal, which summarizes the five volumes of the PGE in a more graphic and simple way.
The educational activity was attended by a delegation from the Budget Office, which included David Canaán, head of the Budget Office's Human Resources Department; Karla Ureña, head of the Planning and Development Department; Laura V. De la Cruz, head of the Quality in Management division; Airon Fernández, specialist in Economic Studies; Bryan Alexis Thompson Pérez, Quality in Management analyst; Raquel Martínez, Quality in Management analyst; Awilda Polanco, head of the Institutional Development division; and Amanda Hilario, administrative technician in Planning and Development.
The content of the meeting revolved around presenting concepts of PGEThe event covered the origin of the funds, how they are spent, how to access information through the portal, citizen tools, and social participation. An open mic session was also held to answer participants' questions.
The event also included representatives from the National Disability Council (CONADIS), from the consulting firm ABRAZA and the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University (UNPHU).
About ABRAZA
Citizen Encounter is an initiative of the current budget administration headed by José Rijo Presbot, which seeks to promote open dialogue between the Budget Office and the various key sectors of civil society, with the aim of fostering citizen participation, social oversight, and making public policies and programs more efficient. PGE.
ABRAZA is an organization with over 10 years of experience in social responsibility. Its priorities have always included the inclusion of people with disabilities and neurodiversity, both from a business perspective and from the perspective of non-profit organizations, supported by the management of strategic alliances for workplace inclusion at the corporate level.
