Mérida: a model of transparency at the national level

MÉRIDA, YUCATAN (December 3, 2020).- “The good municipal practices that characterize the current administration keeps the Yucatecan capital in a prominent place at the national level for the programs and actions that generate positive changes and strengthen social welfare. This recognition is an incentive to continue on the same path towards the construction of a Merida de 10“, said Mayor Renán Barrera Concha.

The Councilor participated last night in a virtual awards ceremony headed by the National Association of Mayors (ANAC). The awards are delivered to the best municipal practices. In this ninth edition, Mérida received two awards: the “Manuel Torres Serranía” award for municipal transparency and the “Francisco Villarreal Torres” award for the “Línea Mujer” program of the Municipal Institute for Women.

In addition, the Mérida City Council received two separate awards for the Healthy Mobility actions in the Historic Center and for the Participatory Design of Public Spaces project. The latter was a finalist in the ninth edition of the “Francisco Villarreal Torres” award.

Likewise, the deputy director of Special Projects of the City Council, María de la Luz Machiavelo Salinas, obtained the award “Contribution to Humanist Municipalism”, in its first edition, together with officials from other Mexican municipalities such as Corregidora, Querétaro; Chihuahua, Chihuahua; and Puebla, Puebla.

“It is a pride for us to see that our work is recognized by all the humanist governments of the country and that our programs and actions occupy a prominent place,” Merida mayor Renan Barrera Concha emphasized.

“That is nothing more than a reflection of the committed work that we carry out in the City Council for the sake of efficiency, transparency and the constant improvement of conditions in our municipality,” he said.

Regarding the “Manuel Torres Serranía” award that is granted to local governments for their good practices in terms of transparency and accountability, the Mayor asserted that the work of his administration has always focused on transparent actions because only in that way citizens can trust their authorities.

“Support and active citizen participation are a sign of that trust, which we are not going to disappoint, so we will continue working every day to improve transparency processes,” he said.

He also recalled that recently, the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO) recognized the good practices in regulatory improvement and transparency of the City of Mérida, which places the Yucatecan capital as the third most competitive nationwide, after Valle de Mexico and Monterrey, Nuevo León.

The Mayor pointed out that the “Francisco Villarreal Torres” award is a recognition for the implementation of good practices and processes of local governments, with an emphasis on public policies that generate a positive impact on their communities.

On this occasion, she said, we received this recognition for the “Línea Mujer” program, which has undoubtedly allowed us to advance in protection and security policies for women living in situations of violence.

—We are proud that “Línea Mujer” has remained as the winning project, among the 161 registered for the ANAC call in the category of Inclusive Municipality-Gender Equity, ” the mayor stated.

He recognized the work done by the director of the Municipal Institute for Women, Fabiola García Magaña, who, together with her work team, is constantly updating all the programs to improve the situation of women and their families, as well as strengthening the mechanisms of security.

He recalled that last year the City Council received the same award for its “Safe House” program.

The work of the Municipal Planning Institute (IMPLAN) was also recognized for the recognitions received in the area of ​​healthy mobility in the Historic Center and Participatory Design of Public Spaces.

Barrera Concha remarked that the backbone of the City Council is citizen support, hence the creation of the Secretariat for Citizen Participation in this administration, which has also greatly strengthened the closeness and dialogue with Meridians.

He said that the acknowledgments received by the ANAC motivate them to continue with the hard and committed work so that Mérida remains a role model of transparency at the national level in relation to the management of public resources.

“We are aware that all the achievements in this area are largely due to citizen support and that is why we will always thank them for their interest and close monitoring of our work, because only in this way will we continue to strengthen ourselves as a society,” Barrera Concha concluded.