At least 75 youth leaders from various organizations/sectors in the province participated in the South Cotabato Open Government Partnership milestone activities conducted and facilitated earlier by the Provincial Planning and Development Office together with the Local Youth Development Office and Youth Alliance for Freedom of Information.
Said activity aims to advocate for Open, Inclusive, and Participatory Governance sessions as part of the SC-OGP commitment to Harnessing Youth Power in Integrating Open Government Values and Mechanisms to Respond to Local and Community-Interest Issues in the Province of South Cotabato.
It also intends to introduce youth leaders to open contracting and open data and the importance of public inclusion in government processes. The session also unpacked how participants can advocate for citizens to participate in the government’s work and processes.
Mr. Vino Lucero, Emeritus Convenor of Youth Alliance for Freedom of Information, discussed the Concept of Open Contracting and Open Data. Mr. Redempto S. Parafina, Component Lead of USAID’s Cities for Enhanced Governance and Engagement (CHANGE) Project of the International City/Country Management Association (ICMA), shared his knowledge on Ensuring Inclusion and Citizen Participation in Public Processes.
This session is one of the preparatory stages/phases for the culmination activity this March 2023 for the Youth Ambassadorship Program of the Province of South Cotabato.