Agencia de Gobierno Electrónico y Sociedad de la Información y del Conocimiento

39 - Transparency of the National Honorary Advisory Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents

Brief description of the commitment: this commitment proposes the installation of transparency and accountability processes within the framework of the National Honorary Advisory Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents.

The proposed tool is the creation of a virtual platform that allows:

1. To incorporate the Open Government approach into the governance and operational processes of the process (public minutes, members, operation, accountability, etc.);

2. To make available the rights, policies, programs and services associated with childhood and adolescence;

3. To centralize data related to childhood and adolescence (in the form of an Observatory or other format);

4. To facilitate participation processes for children and adolescents;

5. To promote transparency processes in public policies related to childhood and adolescence.  

Organization leading the commitment: Ministry of Social Development (MIDES) and Ministry of Culture and Education (MEC).

Supporting Institutions/Organizations: Attorney General's Office (FGN), Ministry of Public Health (MSP), Parliament, Supreme Court of Justice, National Administration of Public Education (ANEP), State Health Services Administration (ASSE), Uruguayan Institute for Children and Adolescents (INAU), National Institution for Human Rights and Ombudsman (INDHDP), Civil Society Organizations (National Association of Non-Governmental Organizations Oriented to Development – ANONG -, Uruguayan Association of Catholic Education – AUDEC -, Bar Association, Uruguayan Society of Pediatrics, Morquio Institute), Inter-American Children's Institute (IIN-OEA), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Responsible for the commitment: Federico Graña, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Social Development. Contact: secretaria.subsecretario@mides.gub.uy.

Gabriela Verde, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Education. Contact: subsecretaria@mec.gub.uy. 

Technical Head: National Honorary Advisory Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents, through the Advisory Team of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Social Development. Mariana Silva. Contact: mariana.silva@mides.gub.uy. 

Actors:

1. Government: Institutions that make up the Council associated with childhood and adolescence policies, namely: Ministry of Culture and Education (MEC), Ministry of Social Development (MIDES), Ministry of Public Health (MSP), National Administration of Public Education (ANEP), State Health Services Administration (ASSE), National Institute of Children and Adolescents of Uruguay (INAU).
    
2. Society: National Association of Non-Governmental Organizations Oriented to Development (A NONG), Uruguayan Association of Catholic Education (AUDEC), Morquio Institute, Uruguayan Society of Pediatrics.
    
3. Other actors: Attorney General's Office (FGN), National Institution for Human Rights and Ombudsman (INDHDP), Parliament, Supreme Court of Justice, Parliament, Bar Association.

Implementation period: September 2025 - June 2029.

Problem definition

What problem does the commitment intend to address?

The National Honorary Advisory Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (CNCHDDNA) was created by Law No. 17,823 - Children and Adolescents Code - of September 2004 and was established in 2007.

Its objectives are: a) to promote the coordination and integration of sectoral policies for the care of children and adolescents designed by the different public entities linked to the issue; b) to prepare an annual document that includes what is established in the previous paragraph; c) to be heard as required in the preparation of the report that the State must submit to the Committee on the Rights of the Child of the United Nations (article 44 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child); and, d) to give opinions, upon express request, on the budget laws, accountability and other rules and programs that are related to children and adolescents.

Despite its operational history and assigned tasks, it has faced difficulties in carrying out some of them. Successive evaluations have identified challenges in accessing information for the general public and specific populations and sectors regarding the discussions and resolutions reached. Another identified difficulty lies in the effective participation of children and adolescents in the various established bodies.

These problems have a direct impact on the efficiency of the Council's actions, as well as the processes of transparency and effective promotion of the participation of those involved. This undermines the progress of policies and programs aimed at improving the living conditions of children and adolescents in Uruguay.

What are the causes of the problem?

Part of the reasons for this situation is that Uruguay's institutional development does not favor inter-institutional collaboration or oversight processes. Furthermore, the fragmentation of information systems and the lack of a single platform for systematizing data related to childhood and adolescent policies, are also identified as weaknesses hindering the broader and more effective development of programs aimed at children and adolescents.

Commitment proposal

What has been done so far to solve the problem?

There are no previous experiences regarding the processes of transparency and systematization of information.

What solution does it propose?

It is suggested to establish transparency and accountability processes within the framework of the National Honorary Advisory Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents, which promotes access to information and open data, boosts the governance of children's and adolescents' policies with an open government approach, and promotes the participation of children and adolescents.

The central instrument will be the creation of a virtual platform that allows:

• To have an information portal linked to policies for children and adolescents, which can engage in dialogue with the adult world, but also with children and adolescents. Development will be carried out in stages, beginning by facilitating access for decision-makers and, subsequently, incorporating children and adolescents.

• To identify the laws associated with childhood and adolescence and judicial processes.

• To enable access to open information and data.

• To establish a space to make the functioning of the Council more transparent.

• To include a mechanism for consultation and dialogue between the Council and the citizens.

The portal or observatory will centralize and make publicly available a set of relevant information related to childhood and adolescence policies, including:

• Executive Branch: data from public policy services with territorial coverage, such as the Early Childhood Information System (SIPI) of the Uruguayan Institute for Children and Adolescents (INAU), the National Public Education Administration (ANEP), the National Institute of Statistics (INE), and the Ministry of Social Development (MIDES). Information focused on situations of violence against children and adolescents, provided by the Ministry of the Interior, will also be included, as well as data on access to justice with an emphasis on this population.
   
• Judicial Branch: statistics related to judicial proceedings in which the Children and Adolescents Code is applied. This will include the visualization of three key indicators: total number of cases, duration of proceedings (calculated from start and end dates), and origin of the case (referring agency and geographic location).
   
• Legislative Branch: identification of bills related to childhood and adolescence, on which the Honorary National Advisory Council could contribute without needing to request them.

• Honorary National Advisory Council: publication of documentation relating to the Council sessions, annual management reports, and data on the actions implemented by the various sectors that serve children and adolescents.

Likewise, a participatory dimension will be developed through the implementation of a space that facilitates the online intervention of groups of children and adolescents in the instances convened within the framework of this commitment.

What results do we want to achieve by implementing this commitment?

Generating a web location (on existing pages or creating one) that enables:

• To have access to open information and data.

• The governance of policies for children and adolescents with an open government approach.

• The participation of children and adolescents.

Commitment analysis

How will the commitment promote transparency?

The timely online availability of the minutes and records of the work done is part of the improvement in the transparency processes of public actions associated with the implementation of the Children and Adolescents Code.

Providing information in a centralized virtual space, which would even enable other organizations or groups to send proposals to the Council through the digital citizen participation platform.

How will the commitment help foster accountability?

The Council, in its operation, will adopt an Open Government approach, establishing processes and publications that reinforces both the accountability of its operation and of the policies linked to the implementation of the Code for Children and Adolescents.

How will the commitment improve citizen participation in defining, implementing, and monitoring solutions?

One of the dimensions planned for its development is the implementation of a digital portal that facilitates the online participation of groups of children and adolescents in the instances convened within the framework of the commitment established herein.

Efforts will be made to reinforce and promote various initiatives aimed at encouraging the participation of girls, boys and adolescents, in conjunction with the Central Board of Directors of the National Public Education Administration (CODICEN), the Uruguayan Institute for Children and Adolescents (INAU), the National Youth Institute (INJU) and the Ministry of Public Health (MSP).

To achieve this, it will be essential to move forward not only in the design of a viewer that allows children and adolescents to have access to and understand the published data, but also in raising awareness and training actions that enable them to use this information effectively.