Territorial Constituent Assemblies
The Territorial Constituent Assemblies (Span. ACT) have emerged since 1997 in Colombia at the local, municipal, regional and departmental levels as a citizens' initiative, with the aim of improving or solving any conjunctural situation in the respective territory that has affected the democratic and social order, security and political culture. In this way, each ACT depends on a specific political, historical and social context, and has the objective of solving certain particular problems of the territory, mostly with regards to violence, corruption, injustice or political crises. To achieve their objectives, the ACTs seek to be involved in the formulation, management and control of public policies and political and social proposals to improve the deteriorated territorial situations. ACTs have a clear and defined organization, which has a governing body and usually works through Committees or Commissions. In addition, they have constituent delegates who are in charge of negotiating with the government authorities the topics of interest and the needs previously identified by the citizens themselves and of executing the proposals of the Assembly. These delegates are elected by the citizens of the affected territory, but not by direct vote. In some cases even the largest possible number of citizens who wish to do so as delegates are encouraged. In any case, it is sought that the delegates represent widely to the society. The ACTs have focused on consolidating the organization and articulation of civil society, setting new political mediation scenarios with the different state institutions at the municipal, departmental and regional levels. There have been 126 Constituent Assemblies in different regions of the country, which have been integrated by a plurality of social sectors, including the academic sector, NGOs, women, trade unions, rural poor, indigenous people, blacks, LGBTI, rehabilitated, judges of peace, environmental organizations, among many others.
Institutional design
Formalization: is the innovation embedded in the constitution or legislation, in an administrative act, or not formalized at all?
Frequency: how often does the innovation take place: only once, sporadically, or is it permanent or regular?
Mode of Selection of Participants: is the innovation open to all participants, access is restricted to some kind of condition, or both methods apply?
Type of participants: those who participate are individual citizens, civil society organizations, private stakeholders or a combination of those?
Decisiveness: does the innovation takes binding, non-binding or no decision at all?
Co-governance: is there involvement of the government in the process or not?
- Formalization
- not backed by constitution nor legislation, nor by any governmental policy or program
- Frequency
- sporadic
- Mode of selection of participants
- both
- Type of participants
- citizens civil society
- Decisiveness
- democratic innovation yields a non-binding decision
- Co-Governance
- yes
Means
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Ends
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