Questions/Answers
Question 1
Please describe the objective of the initiative introduced (200 words maximum)
Brazil was a latecomer in aproving a Law on access to information. With a population of over 200 million, it needed effective tools to ensure fast and effective implementation of the Law. For this reason it implemented its online service for access to information (e-SIC): a tool that allowed democratic access and powerful management of the new policy. With e-SIC, the country was able to offer high quality service at a low cost.
Question 2
Please explain how the initiative is linked to the category and criteria selected (100 words maximum)
The service of access to information offered by e-SIC includes every public organization - including state owned companies - and allowed very high rates of response to citizens. Because of it, Brazilians have a fast and effective way to get information from public institutions and may even make appeals when information is not provided. It is all offered online, with no cost or red tape. Answers are given, in average, at half the time provided to public institutions by law, with a response of access to information requests above 99%.
Question 3
Please describe in what ways the initiative is contributing to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the realization of the SDGs. Specify which SDG(s) it is relevant to. (100 words maximum)
The Federal Government of Brazil has been very effective in providing access to information, in accordance to SDG goal 16.10. Over 680 000 requests of information were made to the government with over 99% responded and over 99,8% responded or within the legal deadline to receive an anwer. Not only citizens get their answer but they can also appeals when they are not satisfied with the answers received with a click of a button.
Question 4
The initiative must have positive impact on a group or groups of the population, especially the vulnerable (i.e. children, women, older persons, people with disabilities, etc.) within the context of your country or region. Please explain how the initiative has addressed a significant shortfall in governance, public administration or public service within the context of a given country or region. (200 words maximum)
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for World Press Freedom Day (May 3, 2008) stated that "access to information empowers each one of us to transform our lives and our communities". The Brazilian service of access to information strongly stand by it, believing that information is essencial for vulnerable groups to undestand and change their realities; fight for their rights and propose changes in policies and regulations. Access to information - which is freely and easily available for all those groups - allow them to find key information to open door for other rights. Before the implementation of the service, most vulnerable groups would not have ways to obtain information.
Question 5
a. Please explain in which way the initiative is innovative in the context of your country or region (100 words maximum)
Using cheap and simple technology, the Access to Information Service transformed a non-existing right into a free, easy to access, widely available right. Without any training, bureaucracy or legal requirements, Brazilians can request information to ANY public organization. Not only it made it possible to obtain information from the government without leaving home, but it also allowed citizens to make all appeal processes without any bureaucray or previous knowledge of the norm. Everything that happens in the system is public available so that public organizations' performance on complying with the law are transparent.
b. Please describe if the innovation is original or if it is an adaptation from other contexts (100 words maximum)
Brazil developed most of the Service in accordance to the reality of its society and government structure. Part of the implementation of the Service was inspired by experiences of other countries, but it was thoroughly adapted to the Brazilian situation. Mexico, for example, had an online system for requests, but Brazil pushed it beyond by making the system a managing tool, orchestrated with a monitoring process of the performance of organizations that stars interventions for any red-flags. The monitoring of the service also includes the quality of answers, the obligations of proactive transparency in the public bodies' websites and the level of openness of data by the organizations. The easy-to-use appeal process, in special, guaranteed the right to informatin, allowing for third parties to analyze the case.
Question 6
Has the initiative been transferred and adapted to in other contexts (e.g. other cities, countries or regions) to your organization’s knowledge? If yes, please explain (100 words maximum)
Yes, the Ministry of the Transparency of Brazil freely offered the code for its Access to Information Service system (e-SIC) and trained thousand of public servants in the subnation level. Many states and municipalities in the country have implemented the model, such as: Distrito Federal, Olinda - PE, Juiz de Fora - MG, Amapá, Rondônia
Maranhão, Resende - RJ, Rio Branco - AC, Acre, Cacaulândia - RO, Fortaleza – CE, Câmara Municipal de Bauru – SP, Três Coroas – RS, Campo Novo – RO, Contagem – MG, Vargem Grande Paulista – SP, Potengi – CE, Angicos - RN, Búzios – RJ, Minas Gerais, Berilo – MG, Rio Preto - MG
Question 7
a. What resources (i.e. financial, human or others) were used to implement the initiative? (100 words maximum)
The Service was originally implemented by a group of 3 full-time public servants. Currently it is run by 7 people who also have other functions. The cost for the implementation for the online system were just above 208 000 Brazilian Reais (around US$ 50 000 on current rate)
b. Please describe whether and how the initiative is sustainable (covering the social, economic and environmental aspects) (200 words maximum)
The initiative is sustainable, having been adapted and implemented in states and municipalities of different sizes. Its maintenance is low and based mostly in the number of public servants involved in the monitoring process.
Question 8
a. Has the initiative been formally evaluated either through internal or external evaluation?
Yes
The service is constantly evaluated by the implementing Ministry. It was also evaluated by civil society organizations and academic researchers.
b. Please describe the indicators that were used (100 words maximum)
Internal evaluation measure the percentage of requests of information that were responded or that still within the legal time limit for response. The number of appeals is also an important indicator.
Academic researchers from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) made a comparative study on the response rate and relevance of requests of information. Different power of the State, and other levels of the federation were used in comparison.
c. Please describe the outcome of the evaluation (100 words maximum)
The internal evaluation shows that over 99,8% of the request of information were responded or are still within the legal time limit for response (in a universe of over 688 000 requests). Only 7% of the those receive an appeal.
FGV study showed that the Federal Government of Brazil service ranks number 1 in response rate and relevance. It also showed that a municipality that uses the online system created by the Federal Government or a similar adapation has 250% more chance of providing a relevant answer.
Question 9
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development puts emphasis on collaboration, engagement, coordination, partnerships, and inclusion. Please describe what and how stakeholders were engaged in designing, implementing and evaluating the initiative. Please also highlight their roles and contributions (200 words maximum)
The Service of Access to information is constantly evolving with the contribution of Civil Society. Organizations - both public and non-governement - are often invited to share their views and suggestions in the annual meeting of the Network for the Service of Infomation to Citizens, an initiative developed to train public servants and improve services by sharing experiences. Organizations such as Article 19th and the National Association for Investigative Journalism are often invited to participate in debates and plannings. Many improvements made in the Service of Access to Information were made by co-creation within the framework of the country's Open Government policy. A recent change in the service to ensure anonymity in the request was introduced in response of requests made by Civil Society Organizations.
Question 10
Please describe the key lessons learned, and any view you have on how to further improve the initiative (100 words maximum)
High quality service on access to information can be provided with easy implementation and low costs. Simple technology, good monitoring process, civil society involvement and willing public servants were all that took for Brazil to fully implement the right of information in a country big both in its geography and demography. The service is widely used and liked by Brazilian society has guaranteed access to information to hundreds of thousands of people.
The service continues to improve through monitoring, upgrading the system and getting feedback from users and will continue to improve with the use of data mining to better understand the populations main demans of information in other to allow a more proactive approach by the government.