IPS-English BRAZIL: City Residents Want to Know ‘How Are We Doing?' Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2007 15:15:53 -0700 Mario Osava RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 30 (IPS) - A civil society movement in Bogotá, Colombia has become a model for Brazilians who want to restore quality of life in the country's two largest cities, by changing the political practices of city governments through mechanisms for communication and citizen oversight. ”Bogotá carried out a revolution that can be replicated in Brazil,” said Oded Grajew, mentor of the movement ”Our Sao Paulo: A Different City”, at the launch on Tuesday of ”Rio, How Are We Doing?”, the initiative of a group of individuals and social organisations following the example of the Colombian capital. The goal is not just to improve life in these cities, but to ”change the whole country by setting an example,” and by demanding that the governments set targets, and that the targets be met, through constant monitoring and evaluation, said Grajew. The Sao Paulo movement was born in December 2006 out of ”a sense of disillusion with the political process,” the former businessman told IPS. Grajew is president of the Ethos Institute for Business and Social Responsibility and was a special adviser to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for the first year of his administration, in 2003. Brazilian government officials are elected without announcing or committing themselves to action plans and specific goals, so ordinary citizens have no way of evaluating the administration at all levels, he said. ”If society does not take an interest in the management of state budgets, these are left in the hands of those who do have an interest,” he said, a reference to the many corruption scandals that have marred Brazilian politics. Out of the numerous experiences studied on several continents, the Sao Paulo movement chose as its inspiration ”Bogotá, How Are We Doing?”, because it sets indicators, targets and goals for the executive and legislative branches, which allow people to become informed and monitor the government. ”Of all the people who visited Bogotá to see the results of our project, the Brazilians were the most enthusiastic,” said Emilia Ruiz, the executive director of the Corona Foundation, invited to Rio de Janeiro to speak about the movement in Bogotá which is led by her foundation, El Tiempo Publishing House, and the Chamber of Commerce. Quality of life indicators, defined from the point of view of citizens, make municipal governments accountable and subject to evaluation, which promotes ”effective and transparent government, and more informed and participative citizens,” she said. Ruiz said that in Bogotá, perception surveys are also carried out. ”These go beyond the indicators,” uncovering trends. They also show that citizens' demands are constantly increasing, with new claims being added in ”a spiral of needs.” But improving governments and the quality of life is ”a long process” which requires patience and perseverance, as well as ”working with alliances,” said the Colombian economist, who has extensive experience in international organisations. ”Bogotá, How Are We Doing?” has been in existence for nine years. Last week the ”Our Sao Paulo” movement, which already has a membership of 300 social organisations, presented a proposal to amend the municipal constitution to the Sao Paulo City Council. The amendment calls for the mayor to announce a programme, with quantitative and qualitative targets, within three months of taking office. The proposed amendment states that the goals should be accompanied by indicators of social inclusion, inequality, and individual and collective rights. The mayor should present financial accounts every six months, and a report on the progress of the programme of goals every year. ”Rio, How Are We Doing?” was started by a group of 40 people with the support of dozens of organisations. Its priority is to define a basic group of indicators, covering only a few topics to begin with, so that it can be more easily understood by the local population, announced Samyra Crespo, one of the movement's founders and director of the Institute for the Study of Religion (ISER). Violence, as the most sensitive indicator of a city's social and economic decay, is the primary factor that is mobilising people in Rio de Janeiro, Rubem Cesar Fernandes told IPS. He is the coordinator of Viva Rio, a non-governmental organisation which has worked long and hard in the city's favelas (shantytowns). Grajew said that pollution and transport are among the priorities in Sao Paulo, where the problems affecting quality of life are more diverse. On World Car Free Day, celebrated on Sept. 22, more intensive efforts will be made to involve citizens, he said. Smaller Brazilian cities, like Ilha Bela, on the coast of Sao Paulo state, and Belem, the capital of the Amazon region state of Pará, are trying to promote similar programmes. ”I have faith that the cities' problems can be solved,” Suzana Sattamini told IPS, emphasising that Brazilians are capable of acts of ”solidarity and altruism.” As an example, she related a traumatic and heartwarming experience she had two weeks ago, when her 23-year-old son, who suffers from memory impairment due to an accident-induced brain haemorrhage at the age of 12, went missing. For two days, hundreds of people joined the search for her son, or sent her messages of spiritual support by telephone and email. Then, in a distant part of the city, a car mechanic noticed a young man behaving like he was lost. It was Sattamini's son, who was able to remember his grandmother's telephone number, and so get back in touch with his family. ***** + SECURITY-BRAZIL: Oedipus Caught in the Crossfire (http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38574) + BRAZIL: Schools as Tools to Combat Violence (http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38887) + Movimento Nossa Sao Paulo: Outra Cidade - in Portuguese (http://www.nossasaopaulo.org.br) + Bogotá ¿Cómo Vamos? - in Spanish (http://www.bogotacomovamos.org) (END/IPS/LA IP PR CV CS/TRASP-VD-SW/MO/DM/07) = 08310033 ORP001 NNNN