Honduras · 28 September, 2020

Improving the transparency indices of local governments in Honduras

The European Union EUROsociAL+ Programme, through the FIIAPP Democratic Governance Area, has supported the Honduran Institute of Access to Public Information in designing and developing a model that enhances transparency processes in the municipalities of Honduras

The Municipal Transparency Management Model was presented today, a result of the joint work by the Honduran Institute for Access to Public Information (IAIP), the Ministry of the Interior, Justice and Decentralisation, the Association of Honduran Municipalities and the European Union, with the collaboration of the EUROsociAL+ Programme.

The main purpose of this model is to promote improvement in the transparency indices of local governments by implementing management tools at the different levels of municipal organisation in such a way as to enhance the processes of transparency for citizens and to meet their demands.

The model is based on the diagnosis made with the participation of 150 municipalities, an analysis that revealed the progress of the transparency policy in the Honduran municipal sector, identifying its main strengths, gaps and challenges to comply with the legal obligations imposed by the Transparency and Access to Public Information Act. Similar international experiences were also accessed and, finally, the model was submitted to a validation process with the contributions of 75 Public Information Officers from the country’s municipal sector. The entire process was coordinated by the European Union Cooperation Programme with Latin America, EUROsociAL+, the IAIP team and representatives from the Association of Honduran Municipalities (AMHON).

The Municipal Transparency Management Model aims to solve the main gaps identified in the local sector and to take advantage of the good practices identified, through principles such as the development of a strategy, the allocation of resources and the application of processes aimed at including citizens in the decision-making process of the municipal authorities, thereby developing continuous improvement in public policies.

The reference framework is based on modular and flexible management tools, adapted to the different realities of the 298 municipalities in Honduras, supported by a process approach and aimed at improving municipal performance in terms of transparency and access to public information, facilitating the exercise of this right by citizens.

The Honduran Institute for Access to Public Information (IAIP), as the guarantor institution for people’s fundamental right of access to information, has promoted the construction of this Municipal Transparency Management Model jointly with its counterparts in Uruguay and El Salvador, which joins other advances implemented by the IAIP, all of them aimed at training and empowering local governments, so that Honduras has Transparent Municipalities that are accountable and apply tools that facilitate the provision of information to their citizens. The initiative has been developed with the technical support of the European Union Cooperation Programme for social cohesion in Latin America, EUROsociAL+.

Source: Honduran Institute for Access to Public Information.

Country: Honduras
SDG: Reduced inequalities, Sustainable cities and communities, Peace, justice and strong institutions
Policy area: Democratic governance policies