'Right to information is fundamental for development', experts say
28-03-2008 (Paris)
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Right to access information held by public bodies and its contribution to transparency, media pluralism, good governance, empowerment and poverty eradication were the focus of debates during the international experts meeting on "Freedom of Information and Sustainable Development, Sealing the Link" held last week at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.
During a two-day session on 17 and 18 March, more than 20 experts from developing countries of four continents, canvassed a range of issues central to the actual enactment of freedom of information frameworks. This included the role of the civil society for the implementation of a right to information regime, and the importance of the proactive disclosure of information from public bodies in a language and in a form accessible to targeted users, including citizens in disadvantaged and remote communities.
Representatives from specialised NGOs, professional media associations and intergovernmental organizations elaborated a stock of best-practices and lessons-learned, which were presented in an open session (listen and read transcripts of main presentations).
Experts participating in the meeting included: Helen Darbishire, Chairman of the Freedom of Information Advocates Network (FOIAnet); Priscilla Nyokabi, Kenyan branch of the International Commission of Jurists; Agnes Callamard, Executive Director of Article 19; Steve Buckley, President of the World Association of Community Radio (AMARC); Sebastian Bartsch, policy-analyst at OECD; Nepo Malaluan from Action for Economic Reform in the Philippines, Shushan Doydoyan, President of the Armenian Freedom of Information Centre; Juman Quneis, scholar at the Birzeit University; and Roberto Saba, Director of the Argentinean Association for Civil Rights (ADC).
This meeting was organized in the framework of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and of its article 19 ensuring the right of every individual to “freely seek, receive and impart information”. A report reflecting the views of experts who attended the meeting will be made available in PDF form. It will serve for further work on this topic during the celebration of World Press Freedom Day 2008 (3 May) in Maputo, Mozambique, which is to focus on Access and Empowerment.
Representatives from specialised NGOs, professional media associations and intergovernmental organizations elaborated a stock of best-practices and lessons-learned, which were presented in an open session (listen and read transcripts of main presentations).
Experts participating in the meeting included: Helen Darbishire, Chairman of the Freedom of Information Advocates Network (FOIAnet); Priscilla Nyokabi, Kenyan branch of the International Commission of Jurists; Agnes Callamard, Executive Director of Article 19; Steve Buckley, President of the World Association of Community Radio (AMARC); Sebastian Bartsch, policy-analyst at OECD; Nepo Malaluan from Action for Economic Reform in the Philippines, Shushan Doydoyan, President of the Armenian Freedom of Information Centre; Juman Quneis, scholar at the Birzeit University; and Roberto Saba, Director of the Argentinean Association for Civil Rights (ADC).
This meeting was organized in the framework of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and of its article 19 ensuring the right of every individual to “freely seek, receive and impart information”. A report reflecting the views of experts who attended the meeting will be made available in PDF form. It will serve for further work on this topic during the celebration of World Press Freedom Day 2008 (3 May) in Maputo, Mozambique, which is to focus on Access and Empowerment.
Experts during the meeting© UNESCO
Related themes/countries
· Freedom of Information: News Archives 2008
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