Web Scout
Powering Democratic Practice: Citizen Groups
Promote Government Transparency
By Marcia Koth de Paredes

The age of connectivity is changing the way that civic groups organize, restructuring the way individuals, companies, government and non-profit organizations interact with each other and increasing the frequency of communication. MoveOn.org last month achieved restoration of $100 million that had been cut from PBS by mobilizing, in less than a month, a million people to e-mail and make 40,000 calls to U.S. Congressmen. (http://www.moveon.org) Studies have shown recently that 90 percent of 200 million pieces of mail received in the U.S. Congress were emails to lawmakers, an indication that citizens are making increased use of Internet for public purposes.

It is clear that Internet can help mobilize people quickly, that individuals can act independently if they wish, and that the traditional media can be bypassed as individuals and groups generate their own exchanges of information. New regional, national and local groups with little previous access to government are online these days but there is a lot to be done to increase the capacity for influence of these groups as well as help others join the push of power to the edges.

Civil society organizations in Peru are increasingly active in the use of Internet to promote “transparency” of democratic processes such as elections, protection of individual rights and the environment and ways to understand and influence the internal workings of government. The expansion of political activity between and beyond traditional groups is also an important trend in Peru.

A look at the web pages of active citizen groups often shows they work independently, but that they also partner with other groups or receive important support from government and/or business on occasion. Government support for the growth of activities of civil society groups can be seen, for example, in the Free Trade Agreement negotiations between the U.S. and Peru that include policies aimed at strengthening the rule of law, improving government transparency, dispute resolution and the protection of intellectual property rights. Issues related to the need to increase civic participation, transparency and accountability are discussed as part of most development projects sponsored by both public- and private-sector international organizations.

The following are examples of the many effective groups in Peru concerned with transparency issues and democratic practice. They provide background information and toolkits as well as links to civic groups and news about their activities. A future Web Scout will cover independent advocacy via newsletters, blogs, online books and articles.

International and Latin American Civil Society Associations/Portals

• Transparency International
  http://www.transparency.org (Monitors government and elections)

• Center for Democracy and Technology
  http://www.cdt.org/egov/handbook/transparency.shtml (Handbooks on e-gov and transparency)

• International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA International)
  http://www.idea.int (Emphasizes civil society participation in elections, monitoring and partnering with government programs.)
  See also Idea Latin America
  http://www.idea.int/Americas
  and
  http://www.idea.int/Americas/Peru

• Observatorio Electoral Latinoamericano
  http://www.observatorioelectoral.org/links/index.php (Numerous links about election processes)

• La Iniciativa de Acceso en America Latina
  http://www.iniciativadeacceso.org (Promotes access to information, participation and justice in decisions taken about environmental matters)

• The Americas Civic News Agency--Inter-American Democracy Network
  http://www.redinter.org/INFORID/ (Portal to news about civic groups, toolbox for transparency action)

• Georgetown University Political Database of the Americas
  http://www.georgetown.edu/pdba/english.html (Links to civic groups in the Americas)

Peruvian Civil Society Advocates for Transparency