Given the ongoing national discussion on decentralization and local governance in Chile, the meeting allowed different stakeholders to gather at the focus group discussion and measure the state of knowledge on this issue. Local government in Chile is considered a disregarded space with lack of competent professionals and without autonomous decision-making processes in terms of use of monetary resources.

The survey allowed for reflection on the challenges and needs to enhance and empower local government and it’s community – especially on how to foster citizen interest in public matters and to ensure binding participation processes.

The few instruments for accountability and local transparency are badly known and underused. There is no public culture to demand and monitor government procedures above all in the local context. There is also no systematic education and capacity building process to enhance the access and understanding of those instruments.

Regarding the completion of the survey – the majority of the people involved decided to send the responses beforehand and use the meeting to discuss and exchange more deeply some common interest aspects.