ACIJ launches online tool to monitor the Argentinian national budget

ESCR-Net member, Asociacion Civil por la Igualdad y la Justicia (ACIJ), launched this week a “Budget Monitor”, an online platform that enables users to monitor the Argentinian national budget. The tool shows how much is being spent by the state in different sectors, comparing the data between different time periods and allowing users to access key information to assess the commitments made by the state budget in relation to human rights.

Budget allocations have implications for the implementation of public policies aimed at guaranteeing equality and overcoming the conditions of exclusion of vulnerable groups. The aim of the Budget Monitor is to promote access to budget information in a simple, disaggregated and accessible way. This will enable users, particularly activists, civil society organizations and media, to understand and monitor how, when and how much resources the Government allocates to fulfill its human rights obligations. Knowing this data informs users of the government’s priorities, empowering advocates to visibilize discrimination and exclusion, and push for better human rights standards.

To better clarify the use of this monitor, it allows users, for example to:

-          View the original budget of the National Plan of Action to Eradicate Violence against Women. The monitor reveals that only 4% of the current budget was executed.

-          See that in 2019, the budget for the Protection of Victims of Violence activity of the Ministry of Justice was 31% lower than in 2018 and only 10% of the current budget has been accrued.

-          Realize that only 54% of the budget for the Food Policy Program has been used, but also show that what has been allocated is greater than the original budget.

It is worth noting that the information on the online platform has been adjusted to meet inflation and was organized by ACIJ based on official data and documents published by the State in its Open Budget site and the National Budget Office of the Ministry of Finance. Part of the sources were delivered by the State in response to requests for access to public information.

For more information on the Budget Monitor: http://monitorpresupuestario.acij.org.ar/acerca-de