Conference summarizing the implementation of the Law on Access to Information in Bac Me district, Ha Giang province
On the morning of December 27, at the People’s Committee of Minh Son commune, Bac Me district, Ha Giang province, a conference to review the project “Promoting the implementation of the Law on Access to Information (ATI) in Bac Me district” was held by the Center for Development and Integration (CDI) in collaboration with the Fatherland Front Committee of Ha Giang province and the People’s Committee of Minh Son commune.
The project project “Promoting the implementation of the Law on Access to Information in Bac Me district” has been implemented by the Center for Development and Integration (CDI) since April 2021. CDI organized a training on the Law on ATI for the People’s Committees of 5 communes in Bac Me district, supported the People’s Committee of Minh Son commune to train the community on the law on ATI, promulgated regulations on publicity and information provision, and built an online information section on commune website. CDI also supported the Community Investment Supervision Board (CBS) in accessing information, training in monitoring skills, and assisting in monitoring implementation. Due to the complicated development of the Covid-19 pandemic during the past year, training activities from July to December were conducted online.
However, the results obtained were quite surprising. The change came from the perception of the poor mountain people themselves. From being shy, unfamiliar with information technology and the concept of “Access to information”, people here now know how to look to the page of the province, district and commune to learn about the economic and social situation of their locality, especially access to information about projects using public investment capital. When there is a public investment project, community investment supervision boards are established with the participation of the Fatherland Front and the people. The CSC sends the supervision plan, together with the request of the Commune People’s Committee to provide information and the detailed document (the decision on approval of the construction of the work, the design of the work, the cost estimate of the work), documents research, actively discuss with stakeholders, directly go to the field to compare, contrast and give feedback.
The Law on ATI was approved by the National Assembly and officially took effect from July 1, 2018 in order to promote publicity, transparency and accountability of governments at all levels with the participation of the people in public governance, creating transformational changes in the awareness of citizens’ rights to information disclosure. However, in the implementation process, there are still many limitations in updating and publish incomplete public content on websites, difficulties in the people’s access to policies and laws.
New and spacious school sites, asphalted concrete roads gradually replacing rocky dirt roads, new cultural houses, clean water works that bring water to every house, etc. The life in mountainous areas are flourished from changes in perception and access to information of the government and each citizen.