Proyecto de Ley de ONG

The event was attended by distinguished personalities, including members of the Congreso Nacional, directivos and ejecutivos of networks of organizations affiliated with FOPRIDEH, representatives of ONGs with national presence, and members of the national press. The conference was led by the ingeniero Mariano Planells, Presidente of the Junta Directiva of FOPRIDEH, who presented the impact of ONGs on the social, economic, and environmental development of Honduras. The study, which took 64 organizations affiliated with FOPRIDEH as a sample, highlighted the contributions of the sector ONG in various areas of the country, including education, health, and housing. The study found that ONGs had benefited over 328,802 people in education, 341,039 people in health, and 59,528 people in housing. Additionally, ONGs had generated new employment opportunities for over 503,964 people and were responsible for managing over 3,397,264 hectares of protected areas, which is approximately 30% of the country's territory. The abogada Reina Rivera, Directora of CIPRODEH, presented the Proyecto de Ley, which defines what an ONG de desarrollo is and its service to society. The licenciado Jorge Yllescas, member of the Movimiento Cívico para la Democracia, highlighted the importance of the Ley Marco, which covers approximately 3.5 million Hondurans and is a significant contribution to the country's development. The doctor Ángel Edmundo Orellana, Diputado Liberal and newly appointed Minister of Gobernación and Justicia, recognized the labor of ONGs and expressed his support for the initiative. The ingeniero Rolando Bú, Director General of FOPRIDEH, thanked the attendees for their presence and highlighted the transparency of ONGs, which is reflected in their willingness to be audited. The doctor Orellana committed to continuing to collaborate with FOPRIDEH to achieve the approval of the Proyecto de Ley, which is currently being reviewed by the Comisión de Dictamen. The Ley de Transparencia y Acceso a la Información Pública in Honduras was approved after four years of effort by various social sectors. The process began with the formulation and socialization of a first project in 2003, led by the Comité por la Libre Expresión en Honduras (C-LIBRE). The project was introduced to the Congreso Nacional in May 2004 but was not discussed. Subsequently, various organizations of the civil society joined the effort, and in 2005, the "Alianza 72" was formed, which played a key role in the approval of the law. The Alianza 72 is currently composed of 22 organizations, including FOPRIDEH, which is also part of its Coordinating Committee. The initiative was also supported by the then-candidate to the Presidency, Manuel Zelaya Rosales, who, after being elected as President of Honduras in November 2005, made approaches to the Alianza 72 and received a proposal of law that conserved the original spirit of the project presented to the Congreso Nacional. The President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, remitted to the President of the Congreso Nacional a project of "Ley de Transparencia y Acceso a la Información Pública" on January 23, 2006, which, in 90% of its content, conserved the vision and general guidelines regulated in the anteproyecto elaborated by the civil society.