Mar 12, 2021
Promoting Open Public Administration in Belize
Open government is the central policy which maintains that citizens have the right the right to access public records, as well as government proceedings in order to allow for effective public oversight. Shared access to information as a measure of ensuring accountability and inclusiveness is encouraged under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In Belize, a concerted effort is now being undertaken through the Trust for the Americas to carry out a project called “Transformation to an Open Public Administration.” It is a partnership with the Organization of American States that has yielded Belize’s first Open Government Action Plan which sees input from civil society, academia, and the private sector. It also involves stakeholder participation from organization such as the Belize Peace Movement. News Five spoke with Paco Smith of B.P.M.
Mar 12, 2021
Paco Smith
As part of the Action Plan, Paco Smith drafted three of seven project commitments. They include ensuring that the Government of Belize is compliant with the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. It also considers climate change and its impact on the environment and the resulting socio-economic effects on the country. The Action Plan also looks to establish open government education in Belize. Smith further discusses the collaboration between government and its social partners to realize its objectives.
Paco Smith, Belize Peace Movement
“In terms of the synergies, what we want is to have government come onboard and support the effort because if we’re talking about raising the awareness with regards to open government, it really entails the proactive input of government as well because it makes no sense for us to try to enact things on this side and there is no balance. So the synergies that we seek are very, very critical