A protester in Buenos Aires holds a sign that reads “Don’t make the vaccine a privilege,” a protest against the government over a “VIP” vaccine scandal. Photo credit: Agustín Marcarian, Reuters
In Spanish
It’s early 2021 and, like millions of academics around the world, Issis Reconco Moncada is learning remotely from home via video call. The moment the instructor explains the key point of the lesson, the Internet is cut off.
For the 19-year-old Honduran, it’s all too prevalent. There is little network in his village and he relies on mobile data packages to keep up with categories and make his homemade paintings. This is an additional expense; Thus, in parallel to his studies, he now has to paint on a nearby farm to prune tomato plants.
Isis is not alone. Only 4 out of ten Hondurans have access to the Internet. Of the 1. 7 million fellows enrolled nationwide in April 2021, one million were unable to take virtual categories for lack of webArray. Across the country, schools remained closed because even though vaccines were available, they were not given to teachers in rural areas, meaning other young people like Issis were deprived of their education.
Also in 2021, a series of alarming allegations reached Poder Ciudadano, the bankruptcy of Transparency International in Argentina. One nursing mother had not yet won an appointment for her booster vaccination, but others with a decreasing precedence for vaccines had won hers. Our bankruptcy learned that regional governors and judges are skipping the line. In February, there were reports of a list of mid-level government officials, adding young assistants, and a circle of family members who had allegedly been vaccinated, “breaking the protocols that a hospital staff should have. “And the elderly will have to be on the front lines. “Soon after, the resulting scandal prompted the resignation of the Minister of Health.
A protester in Buenos Aires holds a sign that reads “Corruption!There is no justification for them. Nothing acquits them. ” a protest against the government over a “VIP” vaccine scandal. Photo credit: Instrumenta, Shutterstock
In many countries, such as Honduras and Argentina, the source and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines has been surrounded by a data gap. Key statistics such as the number of doses available, when they arrived and how they were administered were missing. At times, other times people could not know the regulations and procedures of their Ministry of Health for the vaccination campaign. Without this data in the public domain, it was to make sure that vaccination doses were not being used to confer political favors, that other well-connected people did not skip the line, and that standards existed and were met to protect the most vulnerable.
But those opacity disorders were limited to vaccines only.
In 2020, the Hungarian government announced a program of direct invoices to tourism businesses, which were struggling with the effects of closures, restrictions on foreign travel and the economic slowdown in other sectors. The government distributed more than two hundred billion guilders ($0. 6). One of those subsidies would later be reported to have gone to a hotel chain owned by Hungary’s richest person, a close friend of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who allegedly earned HUF 17. 7 billion ($55 million) to renovate 14 properties. The government said the subsidies were meant to protect workers, but the hotel chain still laid off a third of its staff.
In total, three-quarters of the budget went to tourism companies close to the government, adding those controlled through advisers to the firm that distributed the subsidies. According to the investigation by Transparency International Hungary, the budget was distributed without public tendering and without publicity criteria for beneficiaries or even public data on the application procedure. Research also shows that the total procedure has been affected by conflicts of interest and massive layers of opacity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought uncertainty and precariousness to millions of people. Insufficient data has exacerbated these problems. The less the public knows how their resources are managed, the greater the dangers of corruption, arbitrary and inequitable decision-making for vaccines and life-saving treatments.
A key detail of the reaction of Transparency International’s chapters has been to highlight this information.
In Honduras, the Association for a More Just Society gathered information about the vaccination crusade from government press releases, news reports, social media posts, and conversations with contacts at the Ministry of Health to create the Open Vaccines (Open Vaccines) website.
Poder Ciudadano used to request data to collect data on contracts with vaccine providers and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines for its online vaccine data portal. They also created a tool for others to report wrongdoing. About a month after the campaign, the Argentine government began publishing data on its contracts with vaccine suppliers, but not on how doses were distributed. Poder Ciudadano, the government’s audit workplace, announced it would review the vaccine procurement procedure and compliance with the country’s strategic immunization plan.
Photo exhibition by Transparency International Hungary on tourism subsidies at the Sziget festival. Photo credit: Gabor Ancsin, Kepszerk. hu
Transparency International Hungary published a study on the tourism subsidy program to add and make known about the program that was buried in PDF documents. in August in an exhibition at the Sziget Festival. The main red flags are the basis for various data access requests. Lately, the Hungarian government looks good with decisions granting Transparency International Hungary access to these vital documents.
Elsewhere, such as Honduras, government officials have become involved in the chapter’s paintings and have begun offering insights to feed the virtual platform. In the absence of a similar easy-to-use platform of official channels, journalists, civil society and even government officials have turned to Open Vaccines to advise their work. This allowed the ASJ team to publish research and formulate policy proposals that could have a positive effect on the lives of Issis and other Hondurans.
One of the main recommendations was to prioritize vaccinations for teachers in poorer, rural municipalities with fewer COVID-19 cases; places where other young people like Issis were in danger of dropping out of the school system. Following the ASJ report, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education announced in June 2021 that they would begin vaccination of all teachers in the country and open vaccination centers. in the municipalities through the ASJ.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reaffirmed that access to information is critical to enabling others to ensure that their governments provide goods and in a way that promises and protects their basic rights.
As these examples from Transparency International’s tables to combat corruption in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic show, access to data is for the coverage of rights, adding the rights to health, schooling and equality, especially in times of crisis.
On this International Day for Universal Access to Information, let data be empowered and belong to people.
We believe that learning from the COVID-19 pandemic can help us identify critical hazards and ensure that governments better handle long-term emergencies.
This is what our chapters are doing to keep certain governments informed about the pandemic and key establishments and accountability mechanisms.
A protester in Buenos Aires supports a sign reading “Let angels vaccinate not be a privilege” during an anti-government protest over a “VIP Vaccination” scandal. Photo credit: Agustin Marcarian, Reuters
It is the first months of 2021 and, like millions of students around the world, Issis Reconco Moncada is studying remotely from home through an angelesmada videollos. Just as the professor explains the point clos angelesve of the angeles clos angelessse, the Internet is cut off.
For this 19-year-old Honduran woman, it is too frequent an event. In his village there is little access to the Internet, and he relies on mobile phone data packages to be able to follow his classes and complete his homework. This is an additional expense, so in addition to his studies, he now has to work on a nearby farm pruning tomato plants.
Isis is not alone. Only four out of ten Hondurans have access to the Internet. Of the 1. 7 million fellows enrolled nationwide as of April 2021, one million did not obtain virtual study rooms due to lack of access. Across the country, schools remained closed because, although vaccines were available, they were not given to teachers in rural areas, meaning that young people like Issis were deprived of their education.
In 2021, a series of denunciations by angelesrming reached Poder Ciudadano, the chapter of Transparency International in Argentina. One mother had not yet received the turn for her booster fix, while other people with lower priority for the angeless vaccines had received the angeless of theirs. The chapter received news of provincial governors and judges skipping angel angels. “Breaking with protocols that essential hospital workers and Los Angeles seniors occurred first in Los Angeles Filos Angeles. ” Soon after, the scandal resulted in the Minister of Health resigning from office.
A protester in Buenos Aires holds a banner in Los Angeles that reads “Corruption!Nothing justifies them. Nothing acquits them” a protest against the government over the “VIP Vaccine” scandal. Photo credit: Instrumenta, Shutterstock
In many countries, such as Honduras and Argentina, the procurement and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines presents a data gap. I was not able to find out the Los Angeles rules and procedures of the Los Angeles vaccination campaign of the ministries of health themselves. Without this information in the public domain, it was ensured that angeless vaccine doses would not be used to grant political favors, that angeless people with good contacts would not skip angeles filos angeles and that angelesn rules exist and are met to protect the most vulnerable.
But these opacity issues weren’t limited to vaccines.
In Hungary, in 2020, the government announced a program of direct payments to tourism companies, which were struggling with the impact of closures, the angeless restrictions on international travel and the economic slowdown in other sectors. The government distributed more than two hundred billion forints (600 million angels) in nearly 16,000 grants during 2020. It was later reported that one of those grants went to a hotel chain owned by Hungary’s richest character angels, a close friend of the Prime Minister, which allegedly received 17. 7 billion forints (55 million angeles) to renovate 14 properties. The government said the angeless subsidies were meant to protect workers, but still the angeles hotel chain fired a third of its personality.
In total, three-quarters of the funds went to tourism businesses close to the government, including Los Angeles controlled by los Angeles agency advisers who distributed los Angeles grants. According to TI Hungary’s analysis, funds were often distributed without a public call and without visual criteria for beneficiaries, or even public information about the application process. The analysis also shows that the whole process was full of conflicts of interest and huge layers of opacity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought uncertainty and precariousness to millions of people. Insufficient access to angel information has compounded these problems. and unequal access to life-saving vaccines and treatments.
A part of the angels of the Angels’ response from the chapters of Transparency International has been to bring this critical information to light.
In Honduras, the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ) collected data on the vaccination campaign from government press releases, news reports, social media posts, and conversations with contacts in the Ministry of Health to create the Open Vaccines.
Poder Ciudadano acquired requests for access to Los Angeles public information to gather information about contracts with vaccine providers and Los Angeles distribution of COVID-19 vaccines for its vaccine information website. They also created a tool for angels to report irregulities. About a month after this initiative, Argentina’s government began publishing information about its contracts with vaccine providers, but not about how the doses were being distributed. the regime of access to the angels information of the country and differences in the angels application of the angels same national law at the regional level. Following the work of Poder Ciudadano, the Los Angeles Government Audit Office (Auditor General of the Angels Nation) announced that it would examine both the vaccine procurement process and compliance with the country’s Strategic Vaccination Policy.
Transparency International Hungary photo exhibition on tourism subsidies at Sziget. Photo: Gabor Ancsin, Kepszerk. hu
Transparency International Hungary published a study on the tourism subsidy programme in order to collect angelesr and make available to the public data on the programme that were hidden in PDF documents. Some of the most important examples of the programme were presented in August at an exhibition at the Sziget Festival which featured a guide to the choice of tourism in Hungary. The angels decision to grant TI Hungary access to these important documents.
Elsewhere, such as Honduras, government officials engaged in the chapter’s work and obtained data to feed angels into the digital form. In the absence of an equally easy-to-use form by official channels, journalists, civil society angels and even government officials turned to Open Vaccines to guide their work. This allowed the chapter to initiate research and formulate political proposals that could improve the lives of Issis and other Hondurans.
One of the main recommendations was to prioritize the vaccination angels of teachers in the poorest, most rural municipalities with fewer cases of COVID-19; places where young people like Issis were at risk of being left out of the education system. Following ASJ’s report, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education announced in June 2021 that they would begin vaccination of all teachers in the country and open vaccination centers in the municipalities recommended by ASJ.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced that access to angeles data is critical for angels to ensure that their governments guarantee them goods and services in ways that guarantee and protect their basic rights.
As we show these examples of Transparency International’s work to combat corruption angels amid the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in times of crisis, access to angeles information is to protect rights, including the rights to angels health, angeles education and angeles equality.
On this International Day of Universal Access to Information Angels, let us remember that information is power and belongs to the angels people.
We believe that learning the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic can help us identify critical risks and ensure that governments better handle future emergencies.
This is what our chapters are doing to ensure that governments learn from pandemic angels and strengthen angeless institutions clos angelesve and accountability mechanisms.
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