Fostering Transparent Public Dialogue in Colombia

Partners for Transparency (PfT) is a five-year Activity (2020 – 2025) that leverages local stakeholders’ expertise, engagement, and unique positions of influence to promote a culture of transparency and accountability in Colombia. PfT´s ultimate goal is to strengthen trust between citizens and the State in 15 municipalities and three districts from six Departments in Colombia. PfT has national and subnational partners who provide technical assistance to different actors in the transparency and anti-corruption ecosystem, including government authorities, journalists, academia, and civil society.

A key value proposition is “Fostering Transparent Public Dialogue in Colombia”, which requires informed citizens and public officers, who are open and prepared to show the results of their administrations. Therefore, the technical team from DAI, Foro Nacional por Colombia and Transparencia por Colombia designed and implemented a value chain that includes four initiatives to create sustainable transformations, namely:

a.    The Citizen School for Transparency and Anti-Corruption, b.    The Citizen Agendas for Transparency and Anti-Corruption, c.    The Citizen Oversight Initiatives; and, d.    The Public Administration Strategy to strengthen accountability in local administrations.

In summary, PfT has developed a value chain to strengthen civil society, involving diverse actors, promoting citizen participation, public advocacy, and social oversight to promote transparency in Colombia. On the other hand, working with the mayoral teams on how public information should be provided and how citizen participation should be promoted.