FEDERAL TRANSPARENCY AND PUBLIC GOVERNMENT INFORMATION ACCESS ACT (FTPGIAA)

1. FEDERAL TRANSPARENCY AND PUBLIC GOVERNMENT INFORMATION ACCESS ACT (FTPGIAA) José Luis Marzal Ruiz Federal Institute of Access to Public Information and Data Protection (IFAI) April 2013

2. Mexican Federal Transparency Act Goals • Expedite procedures for everyone to access public information in federal government archives. • Facilitate a transparent public administration through widely known government information. • Guarantee personal data protection. • Foster publicaccountability.

4. Information Access ProcedureunderMexicanTransparencyAct Federal government secretary or agency receives the information request and answers it Citizensendsaninformationrequestthrough INFOMEX Citizenreceivesthe response and analyzesit Doesthecitizenagree withthe response? IFAI’sPlenaryresolvesrevoking, modifyingorconfirmingthe response givenby federalgovernment secretary or agency NO YES Federal government secretary or agency followsIFAI’sPlenaryresolution and deliversinformationrequested Citizen appeals filedthru IFAI END OF PROCEDURE

5. Data Systems • SinceMexican Federal TransparecyActwasput in place, requeststoaccesspublicinformationor personal data, as well as theircorrection, wereregistered in anelectronicinformationsystem (INFOMEX). Responses toinformationrequestswerealsomadethrough INFOMEX. • A “case management” systemwasdevelopedforcontesting appeals, filedto IFAI, togovernment responses and notifyingIFAI’sPlenaryresolutionstocitizens. • A website, known as “Federal Government Obligations of Transparency Website” (POT)wasimplementedtomakeitpossibleto federal governmentsecretaries and agencies to load compulsoryinformation.

6. ElectronicInformationSystem (INFOMEX) • Electronictoolthroughwhichcitizenspracticetheirrighttoaccesspublicinformation. INFOMEX systemregistrates and follows up informationrequests responses. Legal basisfor INFOMEX are article 6 of theMexicanPoliticalConstitution and the Federal TransparencyAct.

7. Federal GovernmentObligations of TransparencyWebsite (POT) POT discloses: • Compulsory information federal government secretaries and agencies shall publish, without the need to make an information request. • Informationregarding federal publicmanagement, as well as the use of governmentresources. • Informationpublishesshall be clear and complete, ensuringquality, veracity, timeliness and reliability.

8. InformationMonitoring and AnalysisCycle Rules and guidelines Lawreformproposal TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY Systemsdevelopment (data collectionmechanisms) Indicatorsmonitoring Informationanalysis and indicatorsdesign

9. IndicatorsSystem Responses to Information Requests (RSI) Put in place in 2009, itaimstoencouragefederal government secretaries and agencies toimprove the responses they give to citizens. Alignment to Law of Criteria, and IFAI’s Plenary Resolutions and their Behavior (A3C) Put in place in 2004, itistoidentifythe performance of federal government secretaries and agencies aligningtoIFAI’scriteria and theircompliance, with times and waysestablishedbyLaw, as wellas notifyingIFAI’sPlenaryresolutions. Obligations of Transparency (ODT), underarticle 7 of Federal Transparency Act Putin place in 2004, indicateseffectivenesspercentage of compulsoryinformationpublicationbyallfederal government secretaries and agencies in the Federal Government Obligations of Transparency Website (POT) with standard digital format and internet navigation. Service Offered by Liaisons Units (AUE) Put in place in 2004, measures --under a mysteryshopperscheme-- theinfrastructure of federal government secretaries and agencies’ liaison unitsandassessesthelevel of service in face-to-faceinformationrequirements.

10. FTPGIAA’sMechanisms and Indicators

11. Responses to Information Requests (RSI) Indicator • Statisticaltoolusedforevaluatingthequality of the responses giventocitizens’ informationrequests. • Itiscalculatedusing a sample (with a confidencelevel of 95%) of federal government secretaries and agencies’ responses of theformersemester (January-June orJuly-December). • Althoughmonitoringispermanent, rating is done everysixmonths. The scores are officiallycommunicatedtotheInformationCommittees of federal government secretaries and agencies.

12. Alignment to Law of Criteria, and IFAI’s Plenary Resolutions and their Behavior (A3C) Indicator

13. FTPGIAA’sMechanisms and Indicators

14. PublicPolicyAdjustmentIndicators Problem: 53% of IFAI’sPlenarymodifyingorrevokingresolutions, in which citizens appealed to responses given by federal government arguing lack of the requested information, were not followed by secretaries or agencies. The information denials were justified under article 42 of Mexican Transparency Act which states: “Secretariesor agencies shallonlydeliverthedocumentsfound in their archives. Righttoaccesstoinformationwill be accomplishedwhentheexistingdocuments are put at citizens’ serviceforconsultation in the place wherethey are located; and alsobygivingcitizensthepossibilitytophotocopy, getcertified copies oranyother mean of duplication.” Proposal: MexicanTransparencyActamendmenttoforceinstitutionsto produce and todelivertheinformationundertheirfield of action, regardlessifitisornotfound in their archives.

15. Specificproblemsolutionproposal: Responses deadlines Operational level Strategic level

16. Genericproblemsolutionproposal: POT Operational level Strategic level

17. AccountabilityFostering Operational level Strategic level