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International Seminar on Modernization of Municipal Management, Co-organized by the OAS, Concludes in Guadalajara, Mexico

The Organization of American States (OAS) concluded, on Friday, May 31, the International Seminar on Modernization of Municipal Management in Guadalajara, Mexico, in which mayors from municipalities in Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Mexico took part, as well as experts in issues of citizen participation, electronic government, public management, transparency and access to information.
The event, co-organized by the Secretariat for Political Affairs of the OAS, through the Department for Effective Public Management, together with the Mexican State of Jalisco and the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), aimed to generate a space for dialogue and mutual learning about successful experiences and best practices in municipal management, as well as disseminating concrete tools that contribute to a more transparent, efficient, effective and participative public management in service of the citizenry.
During the seminar, three panels were held in which issues were raised such as effectiveness in public management and citizen participation; the knowledge society and transparent public management; and governmental articulation to achieve effectiveness in public policies. The workshops also allowed for reflection on the capacity of municipal governments, municipal public policies and the role of the municipality in the Inter-American agenda, among other issues. Workshops were also held on transparency and access to information; electronic government and cadastre in which participating mayors presented on practical and concrete tools to be applied with the objective of improving the quality of municipal management.
Mayors from 17 countries in the region and the majority of the 125 municipalities of the state of Jalisco took part, as well as authorities from municipal governments, municipal associations, political leaders, managers and public servants, municipal technical teams, professionals, students, researchers and academics interested in the modernization of municipal management for democratic governance.
In addition, specialists in issues such as transparency and access to public information, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for municipal administrations, strategies of “smart cities,” cadastre and tools of strategic planning, institutional design and results-based management made presentations.
As to the conclusions from the event, the Department of Effective Public Management of the OAS presented an initiative to launch a Program of Modernization of Municipal Management to include the development of a network of local governments and a bank of experiences in public management to continue virtually with the dialogue and interchange of experiences begun in the event. In addition, it is hoped that the event will become an Annual Forum to discuss issues and challenges of municipal management. Participants agreed on reaffirming the central role played by municipalities in the strengthening of democratic governance.
The International Seminar took place thanks to the support of the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) and the Canadian Agency for International Development. This event takes place within the framework of the mission of the Department for Effective Public Management of the OAS to support Member States to make their public management more effective, transparent and participative for the effective exercise of democracy.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org

Reference: E-220/13