[OpenSpending] R: [OpenSpending-discuss] WDMMG Turkey

Tue Apr 24 08:37:23 UTC 2012

Dear Lucy,

I want to give you some feedback on an initiative in Turkey. I am involved in a capacity building Twinning project financed by the EU between the Italian Ministry of Finance and the Turkish General Directorate of Public Accounts (GDPA/MoF). The project mainly concerns improving data quality and access to public accounts. Within this framework we have been collecting information on fiscal transparency in Turkey and on the developments of the Turkish e-Transformation project. Within one of the activities of the project we are trying to address are:
- contents of data published on public finance in Turkey (objects, classifications, standards, territorial detail, metadata)
- technological solutions for data accessibility and visualization
- public understanding and involvement (media, citizens, NGOs)

Among other things, we held a workshop on April 19th on "Opening Financial Data in Turkey: transparency, accessibility and citizen involvement". Our slides are accessible by clicking here: http://vaccaricarlo.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/turchia-2012-2a/.

The presentations included in length demos of good practices of some of the links features in the slides. A brief discussion followed the presentations; however among the audience there were mostly officials from Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Development, Prime Minister Office, National Statistical Office, the academia.

The administrations involved were very interested but, despite efforts on our side in contacting civil society / ngos usually interested in fiscal transparency issues, we did not manage to hear their voice.

According to our research the major Turkish organizations to be interested in these themes, in addition to TESEV that you suggested, are:

·         TEPAV(Türkiye Ekonomi Politikaları Araştırma Vakfı / Economic Policy Research Foundation) - Ankara http://www.tepav.org.tr/en [TEPAV has recently completed a UK funded project on Public Engagement in Strategic Planning and Policy Making and could provide some relevant views on enhancing transparency and stakeholder involvement. The projects' main objective concerned promoting the guiding capacity of the Ministry of Development and implementation capacity of public institutions for a better stakeholder engagement and citizen orientation in the strategic planning process]

·         Turkish Parliamentary Monitoring Committee (TUMIKOM) tumikom at tumikom.org<mailto:tumikom at tumikom.org>, ), engaged in monitoring openness and transparency of elected officials and in promoting civil participation in the legislative process.

·         Turkey transparency international info at seffaflik.org<mailto:info at seffaflik.org>

·         TODAIE Public Administration Institute for Turkey and the Middle East - e-Government center todaie at todaie.gov.tr<mailto:todaie at todaie.gov.tr>

The Turkish Ministry invited TODAIE to the workshop but not TESEV, although we had suggested so. In general, we asked the above and other scattered informed persons and organization to help us by email by responding to questions on:

1.       which data on public expenditure and revenues should be in your opinion regularly published, but is lacking
2.       what you would like a Citizens' Budget to contain
3.       specific initiatives on budget transparency promoted by Local Government Authorities, in response to demands from community groups or for other reasons
4.       provisions for transparency on public procurement and service contracts
5.       whether there are open government data initiatives in Turkey
6.       the priority fields in which to invest for the development of e-government services
7.       other Turkish organizations (NGOs and government agencies) active in the field of fiscal transparency and e-government services

Unfortunately we did not get any answer. We are going back in May and writing Guidelines for the Turkish General Directorate of Public Accounts to improve data dissemination access and citizen involvement. Should you have ideas, suggestions or more on people and organizations I could try to contact in Turkey to help respond to the above questions or provide any other kind of relevant info for us to show there is a demand for data and fiscal transparency, this could be an interesting opportunity.

Thanks,

Aline

Da: okfn.lucy.chambers at gmail.com [mailto:okfn.lucy.chambers at gmail.com] Per conto di Lucy Chambers
Inviato: giovedì 19 gennaio 2012 18.53
A: Pennisi Aline
Cc: openspending at lists.okfn.org; Florio Giuseppe; Carlo Vaccari
Oggetto: Re: [OpenSpending-discuss] WDMMG Turkey

Aline,

It may make sense to try and get in touch with the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV). http://www.tesev.org.tr/default.asp?PG=ANAEN. They have been involved with the International Budget Partnership and may be able to advise you most closely!

Lucy
On Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 3:46 PM, Lucy Chambers <lucy.chambers at okfn.org<mailto:lucy.chambers at okfn.org>> wrote:
Hi Aline,

I'm not aware of anything as yet. But I'll put a tweet out and see if anything comes back - I would also like to know for my reference.

I'll be in touch if I hear anything back!

Lucy

On Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 11:20 AM, Pennisi Aline <aline.pennisi at tesoro.it<mailto:aline.pennisi at tesoro.it>> wrote:
Hi!

Does anyone know about a Where Does My Money Go initiative in Turkey? Or about any open government data work there?

Thanks for links, contacts or suggestions!

Aline

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--
Lucy Chambers
Community Coordinator
Open Knowledge Foundation
http://okfn.org/
Skype: lucyfediachambers

--
Lucy Chambers
Community Coordinator
Open Knowledge Foundation
http://okfn.org/
Skype: lucyfediachambers
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