Training Provided to Guatemalan Municipal Personnel

Prepared from Reports of Ricardo Morales, General Director, Cooperativa de Trabajadores Portuaria Quetzal, WANGO Member in Guatemala

With the theme “Development with Responsibility and Tr a n s p a re n c y,” educational seminars, initiated, org anized and coordinated by the WANGO National Representative Ricardo Morales, are being given in the municipalities of Guatemala for the municipal personnel. Lic. Antonio Coro, the President of the National Association of Municipalities of Guatemala (ANAM), the institution to which the country’s 320 municipalities belong, approved the two-day seminars as training for the personnel.

The seminars were accepted and officially acknowledged by the National Association of Municipalities (ANAM) as the national program for training employed personnel, recognizing that it was initiated by WANGO. The seminars have also been acknowledged by the Secretary General of the International Public Utilities (ISP); the Union of Workers of Guatemala; the National Organizer of Municipalities of the pro g r a m Integrated System of Financial Administration and Financial Audit Governmental System (SIAF-SAG); as well as by the National Institute of Public Administration (INAP).

History of the Seminars

The idea for the seminar came to Mr. Morales in response to the need to address the corruption present in the Guatemalan government. Corruption has caused a great deal of damage to the country. With corruption at such high levels in government, peace could not be strengthened nor could democracy be consolidated, thus hindering the development and economic growth of the country.

M r. Morales believed one way to help to both d e c rease and deter corru p t i o n in government is to educate and qualify the public servants in each m u n i c i p a l i t y. His original idea was to give the seminars to the various ministers of the government and re p resentatives of the C o n g ress who were to assume positions with the new government in January 2004.

In September 2003, Mr. Morales participated in the WANGO Annual Conference in Bangkok. Upon returning to Guatemala, it was decided that the seminars be given under the auspices of WANGO, since the objectives and function of WANGO coincide with the goals and objectives of the seminars. The program for the seminars was redesigned in December to be given in cooperation with the mayors of the municipalities in order to reach the majority of the population in the republic; it was deemed important to offer the content of the seminars to as many people as possible in each municipality.

Initially, the seminars were to be given to several municipalities together as a group, but since this was not possible logistically, they were prepared individually for each municipality. Also, each community has different situations and culture to consider in preparing the seminar. The results achieved, and the benefits and changes experienced in each municipality and within the population of each community, are very encouraging and motivating. The total number of municipalities in Guatemala is 331. To date, more than 62 mayors have requested to have a seminar in their municipality.

The first seminar was scheduled in the month of February 2004. When it was decided that the seminars would given in each of the municipalities, the mayors requested that the inauguration ceremony for the seminar be held in city hall. Some mayors indicated their stro n g support for the seminar, offering to pay for the expense of the inauguration ceremony.

In every municipality in which the seminar has been held, the Department of H u m a n R e s o u rces has been instituted for the municipality, with the m a y o r ’s wife designated as the leader. The creation of this department is an absolute first in the nation, which has caught the attention of Guatemala’s First Lady. Through this department, a tremendous amount of goodwill and volunteer services has been created for the population in each municipality.

Program for the Two-Day Seminars

The seminars were given with the same schedule and similar content in each municipality. The two days were full; starting at 8:30am, the morning sessions went into a working lunch and then into afternoon sessions, gro u p discussions, NGO leaders meeting, and closing the day with dinner together. The mayor of each municipality welcomed the participants to the two-day seminar, and sat on the panel of presenters along with the governor of the region, members of the city council, chief of police, executive f rom the office of human resources, professors, religious leaders, NGO leaders and the WANGO representative.

Lunch was organized to help to facilitate cooperation and commaderie among the attendees. During lunch, Mr. Morales explained the details of the work of WANGO worldwide, and within the county. The representatives of the different municipal sectors were strongly encouraged to work together for the benefit of the whole community. The key participants committed to work with the mayor, giving their support to reach the social and economic development that will bring progress to the community and their population.

The seminar continued into the second day with emphasis on communication, team building, and interactive dynamics to help to create a sense of harmony among the attendees. The character of a public servant and the attitude and behavior towards one’s coworkers were addressed and discussed, encouraging the development of mutual respect, cooperation and harmony. Diplomas were presented to the municipal personnel completing the seminar. The mayor and all the municipal personnel committed to work for the municipality with responsibility and transparency.