At the Hewlett Foundation’s satellite office in Mexico City, the Global Development staff has been working to combat poverty and corruption by helping local organizations obtain and share government-held information. In the wake of Mexico’s 2000 transition to a multi-party democracy, these Hewlett grantees have used recently enacted freedom of information laws to learn such things as how public money is being used to benefit the poor.

To date, the Foundation’s work in Mexico has advanced transparency and accountability by fostering of a diverse community of civil society organizations that works together to promote greater openness between government and the public. The program has also worked directly with Mexico’s Federal Institute for Access to Information to encourage this. Among the successes of Global Development Program grantees in Mexico are:

• Helping to extend freedom of information laws to state and local governments.
• Increasing understanding of state and local budgets and the capacity of civil society organizations to monitor and analyze them, as well as advocate for effective use of this public money.
• Completing a major pilot project to understand how poor communities can use information access laws.
•  Training of journalists to use information laws for investigative reporting.
• Increasing the emphasis on government transparency and accountability as a factor in international competitiveness.
• Gaining eligibility for Mexican civil society organizations that work on transparency and accountability to be considered for tax-deductable status.
• Using information technology tools to foster a network of national, state, and local organizations that focus on access to information in Mexico.