Press releases

Belize City, BELIZE, June 15th, 2020 – As part of the second phase of the Open Government project: Transformation to an Open Public Administration in Belize, and seeking to leverage open government tools to tackle issues raised by COVID-19, The Trust for the Americas in coordination with the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Belize Open Government Steering Committee announces the launch of the Belize Open Government Action Plan Development in Times of COVID-19.   The Belize National Open Government Action Plan is intended to serve as the instrument to orient the actions of stakeholders in Belize to accomplish certain open government commitments that are identified and agreed by government and non-government in different topics and sectors.   Rodrigo Iriani, Project Manager of the initiative comments ¨Given the diverse challenges posed by COVID-19 in Belize, the exercise of developing Belize’s open government action plan seeks to contribute to defining priority areas in which open government could add more value or have a greater impact for COVID-19 related recovery¨.  The co-creation process of an action plan entails a sustained participatory approach open to anyone wishing to participate, to identify areas of opportunity to utilize open government in pursuing among others new policies, improved government services, innovative transparency efforts, or alike. At the end of the action plan co-creation process and much public consultation, agreed areas of opportunities to address COVID-19 response and recovery through open government will become what are known as open government commitments within action plans.  These activities are possible thanks to the contribution of the US Embassy in Belmopan for the execution of the project “Transformation to an Open Public Administration in Belize”.  For more information, please contact the Trust/OAS Local Project Coordinating Team, Ms. Audrey Robin (arobin@trust-oea.org), and Ms. Malenie Barnes (mbarnes@trust-oea.org).  Keep connected to the project at https://www.facebook.com/OpenGovBelize.  More information on the plan, activities, and partners.  Registration here  #OpenGovBelize  About the Trust for the Americas: The Trust for the Americas is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS). It was established in 1997 to promote public and private sector participation in social and economic development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our initiatives, implemented through local partner organizations, seek to improve access to economic opportunities as well as to foster innovation in vulnerable communities in the hemisphere. To this end, The Trust also promotes social inclusion and good governance. The Trust has offices in Washington, D.C., Colombia, and Canada.  More information: www.trustfortheamericas.org  Facebook: The Trust for the Americas  Twitter: @Trust4Americas  Belize

Washington D.C.,On June 8th, the Organization of American States and the Young American Business Trust (YABT) organized the online event “Youth for an Inclusive Future Post COVID-19” sponsored by The Trust for the Americas.  This round table event reunited young leaders from Latin America to reflect on the opportunities that the current pandemic could bring to the organizations working in the development sector. Secretary-General, Luis Almagro and Latin American singer Miguel Mendoza (known as Nacho) offered remarks regarding the challenges to guarantee more rights for people beyond the pandemic.   Veronica Philippe, Project Officer at The Trust for the Americas, moderated the first session, “Our Rights and Our Voice About the Future.” She stated, “this is the perfect call for governments to include youth in the decision-making process. The right to quality education as part of the needs and rights of young people must not be overlooked, especially during the COVID-19 crisis”. Canada – Antigua & Barbuda – Argentina – Belize – Brasil – Chile – Estados Unidos – Colombia – Costa Rica – Ecuador – El Salvador – Guatemala – Honduras – Jamaica – Mexico – Nicaragua – Panamá – Perú – Puerto Rico – República Dominicana – St. Kits & Nevis – St. Lucia – St. Vincent & Granadinas – Venezuela

We invite you to participate in a 48-hour fully virtual hackathon competition and explore ideas staged under the theme “Open Data: Enabling Belize Tourism Post COVID-19”. It will take place on: Wednesday 8th July, 2020 @9:00AM – Thursday 9th July, 2020 @9:00PM (BZ Time) You can register through this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/110059334432 With tourism being an Information-Intensive sector, effective access to data and information provides the basis for awareness, choice, security, and improved service delivery between the prospective tourist and local operators. The DevCA-Belize2020 Hackathon will focus on solutions for the utilization of open data in tourism to promote destinations, highlight value-added services and improve safety and security. Potential solution areas include: Breakout sessions will be organized online so contestants can gather as teams to participate in the competition. An awards ceremony will also be organized and prices distributed to the winners. Prizes:– 1st place US$500– 2nd place US$300– 3rd place US$200 This Hackathon is organized as part of the project Transformation to an Open Public Administration in Belize and in collaboration with BCC, DevCa, Beltraide, the Statistical Institute of Belize, UWI Open Campus, Belize Tourism Board, and the Economic Development Council as part of the Belize Open Government Steering Committee. Feel free to share this invitation with anyone you think might be interested – developers, IT enthusiasts, civic tech, students, public sector, and anyone who would be up to the challenge! Belize

Washington DC, 26 de mayo 2020.- En el marco del proyecto “Innovación a través de Datos Abiertos en Panamá”, The Trust for the Americas de la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA) lanza una campaña de sensibilización en datos abiertos para jóvenes de distintos sectores y provincias de la República de Panamá, con la finalidad de promover la participación ciudadana, representación territorial en la temática y la formación de líderes en temas relacionados a Datos Abiertos, Gobierno Abierto y Periodismo de Datos.   Este componente del proyecto es implementado en alianza con el Instituto Panameño de Derecho y Nuevas Tecnologías (IPANDETEC) y en coordinación con la Autoridad Nacional de Transparencia y Acceso a la Información (ANTAI), la Autoridad para la Innovación Gubernamental (AIG) y la Dirección General de Contrataciones Públicas (DGCP). .   Sobre la campaña Y4OD Se escogerán 25 jóvenes que participarán en un programa  de cuatro módulos de capacitación mediante sesiones virtuales, complementados con talleres presenciales entre los meses de julio y septiembre. Durante este tiempo, los participantes desarrollarán sus proyectos enfocados en el uso de datos.  Los mejores proyectos serán premiados con una beca para presentar sus ideas en un evento de cierre en la ciudad de Panamá. Esta iniciativa sentará las bases del ecosistema juvenil de datos abiertos en preparación para las Conferencias Regionales de Datos Abiertos AbreLatam y Condatos 2020, a llevarse a cabo en el país.  Rodrigo Iriani, Project Manager de The Trust for the Americas, comenta sobre el objetivo de la campaña ¨buscamos proveer oportunidades concretas a jóvenes estudiantes, entusiastas en tecnología y organizaciones juveniles de distintas regiones para desarrollar capacidades, instrumentar iniciativas innovadoras que utilicen datos abiertos para mejorar sus comunidades¨.  Por su parte, Lía Hernández, Directora de Instituto Panameño de Derecho y Nuevas Tecnologías (IPANDETEC) comenta sobre el resultado esperado: ¨Esta iniciativa sienta las bases de la creación  de un ecosistema juvenil de datos abiertos a nivel nacional, con el potencial de representación en las distintas instancias ya institucionalizadas en el país en la temática de los datos y gobierno abierto, como la Comisión Nacional de Gobierno Abierto. Además de inculcarles valores que les servirán como herramientas en sus acciones ciudadanas para generar cambios en sus diferentes ámbitos de acción¨.  Los datos abiertos son para todos  Esta iniciativa tiene el objetivo de ampliar el uso de los datos a todo nivel. Durante la selección de los 25 participantes se tomará en cuenta el equilibrio de género y geográfico. Los estudiantes seleccionados tendrán representación de la Ciudad Capital y del Interior del país: Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, Guna Yala, Chiriquí, Veraguas, Herrera, Los Santos, Coclé, Colón, Darién, Panamá Este y Oeste.  Regístrate aquí  Sigue nuestros HT: #Y4ODPanama  #OpenGovPanama  Sobre The Trust for the Americas:  The Trust for the Americas es una entidad sin fines de lucro afiliada a la Organización de los Estados Americanos (OEA). Establecida en 1997 para promover alianzas público-privadas, The Trust ha implementado proyectos en 24 países y ha trabajado con más de 1,000 organizaciones en la región. Nuestras iniciativas buscan promover oportunidades educativas y económicas, así como la responsabilidad y transparencia del gobierno. Nuestra alianza única con la OEA nos permite tener acceso a los tomadores de decisiones dentro de la región. Esta asociación fundamental es la sobre la cual creamos redes sólidas en todos los estados miembros y el sector privado. A través del desarrollo de nuestra región, The Trust continúa contribuyendo a superar los desafíos promoviendo alianzas estratégicas que generan resultados sostenibles.  The Trust for the Americas es una organización sin fines de lucro 501 (c) (3) de la Ciudad de Washington DC.       Visite: www.trustfortheamericas.org  Facebook: The Trust for the Americas  Twitter:   @Trust4Americas  Panamá Flyer Kick Off

During the first semi-annual Board of Directors meeting held on May 11, 2020, the members reelected the Executive Committee of The Trust for the Americas. Mr. L. Enrique García was re-elected Chair of the Board, Ms. June DeHart  Vice-Chair, and Ms. Susan Benson  Secretary. With a unanimous confirmation, the Executive Committee will lead the organization for two more years, until 2022. After the election, Mr. García declared: “It is a great honor to be re-elected as President of the Board of Directors of The Trust for the Americas, an organization committed to the social and economic development of the region that seeks to improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable populations in our countries. These are challenging times that demand our complete commitment to help the underserved communities with innovative ideas, and assist the OAS member countries in their pursuit of stronger democracies.” Before joining The Trust for the Americas, Mr. L. Enrique García concluded his fifth term (25 years) as Executive President and CEO of CAF – Development Bank of Latin America. He also served as Governor at the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and FONPLATA. He was a member and Chairman of CAF’s Board of Directors and a member of the Development Committee of the World Bank and the IMF representing   Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. Mr. García was also Minister of Planning and Coordination of Bolivia. Ms. June DeHart has been a part of the Board for more than ten years. She is a partner at Manatt, Phelps and Phillips, LLP and has been in the company since 1987.  Ms. DeHart’s expertise includes legislative and regulatory matters, and a vast experience in state government. Her broad range of clients includes U.S. and international businesses, state and local governments, foreign governments, trade associations, and non-profit organizations Ms. DeHart often advises CEOs and Boards of Directors on federal policy issues and her clients include U.S. and international businesses, state and local governments, other public entities, foreign governments, trade associations, and nonprofits. Susan Benson founded The Trust for the Americas in 1997 based on her experience designing and managing OAS multinational projects in the fields of information systems, library and community development, and marketing of craft. With a start-up grant from the U.S. Mission to the OAS in 1998, she built a team to create the first programs of technology for marginalized populations and for transparency, which evolved into today’s programs.   During the meeting, the Board welcomed its newest member, Ms. Kim Meredith, Executive Director of Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society/Stanford Social Innovation Review.  Luis Almagro, Secretary-General of the Organization of American States, who serves as an ex-official member of the Board, offered a keynote speech to address the current political environment of Latin America.   At the end of the meeting, the Board held a virtual-signing ceremony with the First Lady of Paraguay, Mrs. Silvana Abdo, that was the first commitment towards launching a program that will benefit women entrepreneurs in Paraguay.   About The Trust for the Americas:  The Trust for the Americas is a non-profit organization affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS). Established in 1997 to promote public and private partnerships, The Trust has implemented projects in 24 countries and worked with over 1,000 organizations in the region. Our initiatives seek to promote educational and economic opportunities as well as government accountability and transparency. Our unique alliance with the OAS allows us to have access to decision-makers within the region. This foundational partnership is the basis through which we create strong networks across member states and the private sector. Through the evolution of our region, The Trust continues to endure by facing challenges through strategic partnerships that promote cooperation for sustainable results. The Trust of the Americas is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. More information: www.trustfortheamericas.org Facebook: The Trust for the Americas Twitter: @Trust4Americas Estados Unidos

Washington DC, May 14, 2020.- During the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) session, OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro called on Member States to work together in favor of democracy in the region.  Almagro emphasized that “each of the countries and member states may today have the Trust as a reference for the development of projects that deal with different institutional capacities and transparency at the level of the political systems and the hemisphere, innovation in government management, construction of public policies, focus on open government programs, these are all citizen participation and accountability initiatives. ”   In order to face the pandemic from a perspective of human rights and democracy, we must foster alliances of the public and private sectors and involve governments to work together with citizens and strengthen levels of public trust.   “Transparent management and responses by governments are elements of democracy that we must promote; transparency and citizen participation are elements of democracy that we must ought to. Transparency and citizen participation make essential elements of democratic legitimacy and reducing corruption is definitely one of the key points in the context of government purchases in the context of the pandemic, ”said Secretary General Luis Almagro.  The Trust for the Americas supports Open Government and the regional governance and transparency agenda through:  The Permanent Council brings together 35 member states of the hemisphere. During the May 14th edition, a completely virtual meeting, it was determined that public-private alliances are fundamental to democratic resilience; especially when the entire region faces a state of emergency.   Permanent Council Video: https://youtu.be/2noikhJjYLo?t=4951 

The Trust for the Americas, through its local partner, the Institute of Law and Economics (ILE), will kickstart the Caribbean School of Data online training module for the first cohort of 25 students on May 18th 2020.   The Caribbean School of Data (CSOD) is an initiative of the Caribbean Open Institute (COI)1, that seeks to develop a comprehensive and sustainable digital/data literacy program aimed at underserved populations within the Caribbean. Some of the CSOD’s goals include building a stronger data culture across the region and creating essential employment skills for the emerging digital economy.  The long-term goal of the CSOD is to develop a comprehensive and sustainable “data literacy” program that will facilitate greater awareness, attitudes, competencies and capacity to build a stronger data culture across the Caribbean. Through this specific initiative, the CSOD will create employability and economic opportunities for at-risk youth across the Caribbean through digital literacy and data skills training.  Rodrigo Iriani, Project Manager of the DIA Lab mentioned ¨The ultimate goal of the DIA Program is to bring innovation to people. This means having youth engaged and contributing to their own development and that of their communities. The DIA Urban Lab and the CSOD partnership is another proof of the potential of using data to foster progress in the Caribbean¨.  The deployment of the CSOD program over a two-year period aims to train at least 1,500 marginalized young people in seven countries across the Caribbean. These training fields include Digital/Data Literacy and basic to advanced Data Management skills- geared towards creating a range of employment opportunities.  ILE has trained three facilitators to guide the first cohort of 25 students that will complete the training in 10-12 weeks. By the end of 2020, ILE will train 100 young people in the CSOD module.  Launched in 2016 with support from Founding Donors, Citi Foundation and USAID through A New Path Project, DIA Jamaica is an initiative created by The Trust for the Americas, an affiliate of the Organization of American States, to empower a new generation of young entrepreneurs and innovators- who will act as agents of change in their communities. DIA Jamaica is part of Citi Foundation’s Pathways to Progress global initiative to prepare young people with the career readiness tools and opportunities needed to thrive in today’s economy. Pathway to Progress is comprised of programs, research, and partnerships such as the one with Trust of the Americas, which help young people build an entrepreneurial mindset and acquire leadership.  The DIA Urban Lab has awarded more than 100 seed funding opportunities and benefited over 1,500 young people through innovation training and access to state-of-the-art technology. The DIA initiative is a regional program also present in Belize, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama.  Stay tuned for our calendar of special events.  Hashtag Jamaica  #CSODJA  #DIALAB  #ILEJA  About The Trust for the Americas:  The Trust for the Americas is a non-profit organization affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS). Established in 1997 to promote public and private partnerships, The Trust has implemented projects in 24 countries and worked with over 1,000 organizations in the region. Our initiatives seek to promote educational and economic opportunities as well as government accountability and transparency. Our unique alliance with the OAS allows us to have access to decision makers within the region. This foundational partnership is the basis through which we create strong networks across member states and the private sector. Through the evolution of our region, The Trust continues to endure by facing challenges through strategic partnerships that promote cooperation for sustainable results. The Trust of the Americas is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. More information: www.trustfortheamericas.org Facebook: The Trust for the Americas Twitter: @Trust4Americas Jamaica

Washington DC, May 11, 2020.- TThe Trust for the Americas, an entity affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Office of the First Lady of Paraguay, Silvana Abdo, agreed today – in a virtual meeting – to launch a technological training program for vulnerable populations in Paraguay with special emphasis on women entrepreneurs and artisans. The Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, stressed that the initiative will provide digital education in times when the use of technology is crucial to improve economic growth. “We celebrate the signing of this agreement whose objective is to train and empower women entrepreneurs in Paraguay. The COVID-19 pandemic is hitting our economies hard and this initiative is an opportunity to generate sources of employment,” said Secretary General Almagro. For her part, First Lady Abdo indicated that the alliance between the Trust and her government will provide better possibilities and rights for the Paraguayan people. “The objective will be especially placed on the possibilities of improving the lives of women in our country so that they can use technology to improve their businesses and jobs, as well as disseminating and publicizing their companies and products,” she said. For his part, the Chairman of the Board of the Trust for the Americas, Enrique García, said that the alliance with the Paraguayan government will allow the development of a social inclusion program that will improve the economy of many low-income households. “Today more than ever, the times demand that we act quickly and efficiently to facilitate, together with local partners in each country, the skills that the most vulnerable populations need to cope, during and after overcoming the coronavirus pandemic in the region. We will work together on that,” added García. The initiative, which is in the design phase, will include public-private participation and will focus on digital and business training, as well as job skills, leadership, assertive communication, and the prevention of gender violence. The projects developed by the Trust for the Americas have a rate of access to economic opportunities of 55 percent of its graduates.

The Trust for the Americas and the Department for Effective Public Management of the OAS, with the Support of the Embassy of the United State of America in Belize, presents the complete webinar resources carried out during the project “Transformation to an Open Public Administration in Belize (2019-2021)”. The first webinar series was designed for the Open Gov Steering Committee (Open Gov SC). The second series caters to all participants interested in learning about the open government ecosystem.  All webinars were facilitated by Mike Mora, Specialist of the Department for Effective Public Management of the Organization of American States Audience: Open Gov Steering Committee.  Webinar 1: Open Government: An overview of the path to 2020. This session is intended to serve as an overview of how open government has progressed since inception. The overview will allow us to interpreter how countries had responded to its implementation, what methodologies had been pursued, and what kinds of commitments have been established; all from the perspective of a participatory multi-stakeholder approach; lead by a core group of key public actors acting as a cohesive national open government body. Recorded on Wednesday, February 12, 2020 3:30PM-5PM (BZE-CST) – at BCCI Boardroom, Belize City. Webinar 2: National Steering Committees in Open Government; principles and world cases. This session is intended to provide an in-depth overview of the in-country mechanisms established to guide the implementation of open government. The session will touch on their role, configurations, practices, and also roles taken by their participants. Recorded on February 19, 2020 3:30PM-5PM (BZE-CST) – at CITO Training Room, Belmopan Webinar 3: Steering Committees & the development of National Open Government Action Plans. This session is intended to dive deeper into the role of the national open government committees in relation to the processes of developing the national open government action plans. What to do, what to expect, how to navigate and encourage a participatory process and decision making. Recorded on Wednesday, February 26, 2020 – 3:30PM-5PM (BZE-CST) at CITO, Belmopan Audience: Open Government Ecosystem Webinar 1: Open Government: an overview of the path to 2020. This session is intended to serve as an overview of how open government has progressed since inception. The overview will allow us to interpreter how countries had responded to its implementation, what methodologies had been pursued, and what kinds of commitments have been established; all from the perspective of a civil society centered participatory multi-stakeholder approach. Recorded on Thursday February 13, 2020 – 10:30AM-12:00PM (BZE-CST) – at BTEC, Belize City.  Webinar 2: Development of National Open Government Action Plans. This session is intended to provide an in-depth overview of the standards and practices when developing open government national action plans. What are action plans, what’s in them, and how to get there, will be some of the topics to be covered. The Speakers will dive into the processes to enable co-creation of an action plan, also looking at the specific case of Uruguay, where government and civil society have incrementally progressed in the embracing of open government. Recorded on February 20, 2020 – at BTEC, Belize City. Webinar 3: More of co-creation and setting ambitious commitments. This session is intended to explore deeper into the processes of setting the commitments for the open government action plans and how these have worked well in other countries. The exchange will encourage participants to think about what commitments may be of interest to pursue in Belize for the development of its first open government action plan. Recorded on Thursday, February 27, 2020 – 10:30AM-12:00PM (BZE-CST) at University of Belize Auditorium, Belmopan. Thank you to all our collaborators and interested participants. For more information on the project click here or contact the project manager: Rodrigo Iriani at ririani@oas.org.  Download documents here  Belize Open Government Belize Webinar Program

2020/04/28 As part of the second phase of an Open Government project: Transformation to an Open Public Administration in Belize, The Trust for the Americas in coordination with the Organization of American States (OAS), announces the official formation of an Ad-hoc Multi-stakeholder Steering Committee: The Belize Open Gov SC. This Open Government project, through funding support from the US Embassy Belmopan, is working to strengthen the creation of networks and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration, supporting a long-term process to spur innovation, improving local government services, and activating international support mechanisms for enabling Belize to join the Open Government global movement. The Belize Open Gov SC is comprised of eleven member representatives with the objective to serve as the dialogue and decision-making mechanism to advance open government processes of the project and by extension the country of Belize. The installation of national open government committees is a well-established good practice around the world for those countries pursuing the strengthening of their open government efforts. The Belize Open Gov SC includes six government agencies with representatives from: Office of the Prime Minister (Michael Singh, Advisor for eGovernance and Digital Transformation), Central Information Technology Office (Ian Smith, Executive Director), Economic Development Council (Ishmael Quiroz, Executive Director), Attorney General’s Ministry (Imani Burgess, Crown Counsel), Department of Local Government (Clifford King, Director of Local Government) and the Integrity Commission (Deshawn Arzu Torres, Chairperson). Five civil Society organizations with representatives from: Belize PEACE Movement (Paco Smith, Good Governance & Anti-Corruption/External Relations Liaison), Association of Tertiary Level Institutions of BelizeATLIB (Dr. Sharmayne Saunders, Chairperson), Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry-BCCI (Dyon Elliott, Chief Policy Analyst), The Belize Mayors Association (Mayor Khalid Belisle, President) and the National Trade Union of Belize-NTUCB (Marvin Mora, President).  Rodrigo Iriani, Project Manager of the initiative, states ¨Essentially, the Open Government Steering Committee will play a pivotal role in supporting the coordination of participatory multi-stakeholder dialogues. Their ultimate contribution will reflect in the first draft of the National Open Government Action Plan for Belize.¨ For more information, please contact the Trust/OAS Local Project Coordinating Team, Ms. Audrey Robin (arobin@trust-oea.org), and Ms. Malenie Barnes (mbarnes@trust-oea.org). Keep connected to the project at https://www.facebook.com/OpenGovBelize. #OpenGovBelize About The Trust for the Americas: The Trust for the Americas is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS). It was established in 1997 to promote public and private sector participation in social and economic development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our initiatives, implemented through local partner organizations, seek to improve access to economic opportunities as well as to foster innovation in vulnerable communities in the hemisphere. To this end, The Trust also promotes social inclusion and good governance. The Trust has offices in Washington, D.C., Colombia, and Canada. More information: www.trustfortheamericas.org Facebook: The Trust for the Americas Twitter: @Trust4Americas Belize