What’s New
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20 September 2011
Philippines OGP Commitment on FOI Legislation General
The Open Government Partnership commitment by the Philippines government on pending freedom of legislation is general and President Benigno Aquino, who addressed an OGP event in New York Sept. 20, but did not mention the pending bill. The Phlippines national action plan statement on the OGP website, posted Sept. 20, states in part: Promote Access to Government Information. […]
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20 September 2011
Action Plans Released for Eight Core OGP Countries
The national action plans of the eight founding Open Government Partnership countries are now available online. The plans indicate commitments made the United States and Brazil (co-chairs), South Africa, the United Kingdom, Norway, Mexico, Indonesia and the Philippines. (Click on the orange name of the country.) “We hope that many of those plans will become models […]
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19 September 2011
Three More Countries Join OGP on Eve of Kick-Off
Canada, Romania and Uruguay will round out the roster of 46 countries joining the Open Government Partnership, according to an OGP Twitter post late Sept. 19. In addition, the OGP has released the declaration that joining countries will sign and the steering committee has indicated it will take steps toward proactive disclosure and announce its […]
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19 September 2011
ANC Postpones POIB Vote to Seek Additional Input
The ruling African National Congress in South Africa has postponed a planned Sept. 20 vote on the controversial Protection of Information Bill. The bill will be finalized by the end of the year, according to ANC chief whip Mathole Motshekga, who said the decision was made in order to get more input on the bill. […]
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19 September 2011
Guyana Assembly Passes Access to Information Bill
The Guyana National Assembly Sept. 15 passed an access to information bill drafted in meetings boycotted by the opposition and being criticized by transparency activists. President Bharrat Jagdeo is expected to sign the bill in the coming months, according to an Associated Press report. Prime Minister Samuel Hinds told the Assembly that 20 of the […]
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16 September 2011
43 Countries to Join Open Government Partnership
With the only a few days to go before the Sept. 20 launch event, 43 countries have agreed to join the Open Government Partnership. The latest seven to appear on the official list are: the Czech Republic, El Salvador, Latvia, Peru, South Korea, Sweden and Ukraine. The list is: Albania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, […]
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16 September 2011
Obama Administration Issues Report on Transparency Record
The Obama administration Sept. 16 released its own “compelling picture of how far the Administration has already come towards forging a more open government.” The report is introduced in a White House blog post by Steven Croley, a Special Assistant to the President and Senior Counsel to the President, which begins, “President Obama has made […]
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16 September 2011
Bahamas Minister Promises to Bring Up FOI Bill
Bahamian Health Minister Hubert Minnishas said the government will bring a freedom of information bill to Parliament before it ends its term in office, according to a Sept. 15 report by Cara Brennen-Bethel in The Tribune. Minnis said in a radio interview that he is “a full complete proponent of the Freedom of Information Act.” […]
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16 September 2011
New Law on Freedom of Information in Hungary
By Tivadar Hüttl Director of Data Protection and Freedom of Information Program, Hungarian Civil Liberties Union The Hungarian Parliament in June adopted new law on data protection and freedom of information (Act CXII. on Informational Self-determination and Freedom of Information). The act will entry in force from 1st of January 2012, and will replace the […]
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16 September 2011
FOI Notes: U.S. Resource on State FOI, U.K. Study on MPs
United States: The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has published the 6th Edition of its Open Government Guide, a comprehensive overview of open records and open meetings laws in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Share: · Facebook · LinkedIn · Email Print Link The free guide allows users to cross-reference and […]
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16 September 2011
Is Open Data a Good Idea for the Open Government Partnership?
By Nathaniel Heller Heller is Managing Director of Global Integrity and managing the Open Government Partnership Networking Mechanism. This post appeared Sept. 15 on the Global Integrity website. As we’ve blogged before, Global Integrity is working to promote the new Open Government Partnership by serving as the OGP’s Networking Mechanism, which aims to connect aspiring […]
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16 September 2011
FOIAnet Produces Right to Know Day Video, Play List
The Freedom of Information Advocates Network has released a video, visual materials and a list of appropriate music to commemorate the upcoming Right to Know Day, Sept. 28. The video is available on the FOIAnet website and on youtube.com. The international coalition announcement says: “Please share it, circulate it, use it at events, put it […]
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14 September 2011
Eight More Countries Join OGP; Aguino Plan Criticized
Eight more countries have indicated their intention to join the Open Government Partnership – Azerbaijan, Chile, Colombia, Ghana, Jordan, Montenegro, Tanzania and Turkey. OGP membership now stands at 36. The OGP website lists 28 countries that have agreed to participate in addition to the eight founding members. The list is: Albania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, […]
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12 September 2011
Indian Court Upholds Exclusion of CBI from RTI
An Indian court has upheld with the government’s decision to exempt the Central Bureau of Investigation, a security and intelligence agency, from coverage under the right to information law. The Madras high court Sept. 9 became the first in the country to rule on one of several legal challenges to the decision, according to media […]
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12 September 2011
Secrecy Bill: The Stories That Couldn’t Be Told
By Ilham Rawoot This author is a journalist with the The Mail & Guardian in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her article was published Sept. 9 in The Mail & Guardian and is reprinted with permission. Once the Protection of Information Bill becomes law, which most likely will be before the end of this year, journalists and members […]
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9 September 2011
OGP Membership Now 28; More Still Expected to Join
Twenty-eight countries have committed to participate in the Open Government Partnership and the list may grow by another dozen, according to informed sources. The official tally of countries having sent in a “letter of intent” was first made available early in the week of Sept. 5 and has been growing incrementally during the week. The Sept. […]
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9 September 2011
Group Asks Countries Not to Support EU Council Appeal
Access Info Europe is challenging European Union countries to not support the Council of the European Union’s appeal against the European General Court’s ruling that the names of the countries making legislative proposals should be disclosed. Member states have until mid-September to declare whether they will join the case decided in March. (See previous FreedomInfo.org […]
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9 September 2011
U.S. Group Rates Obama Administration on Secrecy
The U.S. advocacy coalition OpenTheGovernment.org Sept. 7 issued its 2011 Secrecy Report finding some positive trends within the U.S. government. According to Patrice McDermott, director of OpenTheGovernment.org, “We are not as yet at the level of ‘unprecedented transparency’ the Obama Administration promises, but we are beginning to see signs that at least some of the Administration’s […]
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8 September 2011
Italy, Estonia Join OGP; Aguino Keynote Speaker
Italy and Estonia have joined the list of countries joining the Open Government Partnership, according to information posted on the OGP website. The OGP also unveiled the agenda for the “Power of Open” conference to be held Sept. 20 in New York City, revealing that Philippines President Benigno Aguino, who is being criticized for holding […]
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7 September 2011
Passage of RTI Law in Ghana This Year Called Less Likely
Passage of a right to information law in Ghana is unlikely this year, according to assessments in several recent, in-depth articles. In the aftermath of summer hearings around the country, Parliament could be in a position to act on the bill, but no specific plans have been outlined. (See previous FreedomInfo.org reports.) A Sept. 6 […]