Local government and open government: key issues of the Argentinean agenda

Institutional support constitutes a determining factor for the success of any professional training tool. This was evident after the closing of the I National Meeting of Governance Graduates of Argentina, organized by the city of Cordoba with the support of the Universidad Católica de Córdoba (UCC) and the Universidad de San Andrés (UdesA).

Christian Asinelli, CAF's Director of Institutional Development, inaugurated the working event and invited those attending to actively participate in the different activities that are promoted by the multilateral organization. He stated, "Graduation is not the end, it is only the beginning". 

The event gathered different personalities of the Argentinean public administration to exchange perspectives regarding urban security, open government, prevention of disasters in local management, and the reform of the Argentinean electoral system. 

Marco Enríquez-Ominami, former presidential candidate in Chile, spoke about the need to renew the political system in Latin America and support a regional modernization process. He said, "We need to think about private integration in Latin America, and for that, it is necessary to have an adequate infrastructure". 

Ezequiel Fernández Langan, Undersecretary for Electoral Affairs in Argentina, summarized the main challenges regarding political and legislative matters faced by the electoral proposal promoted from the institution he presides. For Fernández Langan "what is most important for the implementation and success of the electoral reform is training". 

The closing of the meeting was in charge of Nicolás Massot, National Congressman, and Martín Gill, Mayor of Villa María, who shared their expectations regarding the future of Argentina, and recognized the importance of promoting initiatives to train public servants. The graduates coincided on the need to support the initiatives of the Latin American Governance Network, to strengthen the links between the community of graduates and generate working spaces that transcend virtual interaction. 

From its beginnings, in 2001, the Governance, Political Management, and Public Management Program has trained more than 2,000 Argentineans. Currently, it is implemented by the Instituto Federal de Gobierno (Federal Governance Institute) of the Universidad Católica de Córdoba (IFG-UCC) and the Universidad de San Andrés (UdesA).