What’s New
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3 May 2012
R2K Campaign Objects to Shortened Schedule
The South African Right2Know coalition May 3 objected to plans by a parliamentary committee to consider the controversial Protection of State Information Bill in two sessions rather than the planned seven. Nobel Prize winner Nadine Gordimer, who has opposed the bill before, recently argued that it sh0ud be “rejected in its entirety” in an article, “South […]
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30 April 2012
OGP Still Developing Rules on Member Noncompliance
The Open Government Partnership Steering Committee on April 16 engaged in a discussion, still partially unresolved, of how to handle members who fail to live up to their commitments, according to minutes released April 30. The committee – made up of 18 members, half from governments and half from civil society – sets policy for […]
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30 April 2012
New Details Emerge on OGP Review Mechanism
The next major stage in the history of the Open Government Partnership will occur as the 55 members review their implementation of their national action plans, and have their compliance reviewed by experts. This Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) process was outlined a year ago, and made more formally in the just-issued Articles of Governance, but […]
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30 April 2012
Requests in Germany Doubled in 2011, Report Says
The German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Peter Schaar, April 24 issued an annual report showing that requests are rising. The third annual report on freedom of information for 2010 and 2011, indicates that in 2011, 3,280 applications were made, an increase of 110 percent compared with the 1,557 requests recorded […]
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27 April 2012
New Guyana FOI Law Still Not in Effect After 7 Months
The Guyana access to information law, signed into law seven months ago, is still not in effect. The text of law, although not apparently available on official government websites, has been provided to FreedomInfo.org. The Guyana National Assembly passed the access to information bill Sept. 15, despite criticisms by local transparency activists. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) President […]
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27 April 2012
India’s CIC Clashes With Justice Over Use of RTI
India’s Chief Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi has written to the Chief Justice of India, S.H. Kapadia, to object to his recent comments critical of the right to information law. The chief justice was quoted as saying the law was “good” but was being misused to ask irrelevant and intrusive questions. In his reply, Gandhi said: […]
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27 April 2012
Indian State Commission Pulls Bank Under RTI Law
An Indian State Information Commission April 24 ruled that the Jammu and Kashmir Bank Limited is a public authority under the 2009 Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Act. The bank was created by legislative act, is majority-owned by the government, has three government-appointed directors, and carries out instructions from the government, according to the […]
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27 April 2012
Ukraine Planning Rules for FOI Law; Internet Access
The Ukrainian government has indicated that in June it will adopt rules to implement the Law on Access to Public Information, according to a Ukrainian News report. A government announcement cited also stated that the government will and prepare “a plan of measures for creation of a public information accounting system in the state and […]
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27 April 2012
OGP Budget $1.5 Million Through October 2011
The Open Government Partnership plans to spend almost $1.5 million ($1,497,563) in its first year of operation, according to a recently posted budget. Much of that amount, 46 percent ($696,000), was, or will be, dispersed to other organizations, according to the budget, with the rest going primarily to OGP staff salaries and travel expenses. About […]
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27 April 2012
Commentaries Mostly Positive in Wake of OGP Meeting
In the week after the Open Government Partnership meeting in Brazil April 18-19 a number of articles have appeared with reflections on the conference, largely favorable but sometimes raising issues such as government accountability and civil society participation. Canadian blogger David Eaves wrote that the carrot of membership is working, but wondered about the stick. […]
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26 April 2012
U.S. House Passes Bill on Spending Transparency
The U.S. House of Representatives April 25 easily passed a bill (HR 2416) to standardize the reporting requirements for recipients of federal grants, loans and contracts. The potential uniformity is seen as a way to improve oversight of government spending and was supported by open government advocates and a new industry coalition. The bill would […]
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26 April 2012
FOI Notes: UK, US, Open Government, Open Data, Commentary
Open Government: The Digital Citizen Pulse Survey summary reports that more than 70 percent of respondents are interacting with governments through websites and 53 percent want more public services accessible online. Some 82 percent of citizens in Singapore use websites to access government services, the highest in the survey. United Kingdom: A new official report says that in 2011 […]
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25 April 2012
Disclosure of Land Deals Recommended in Report
All contractual information about land deals should be publicly available unless investors or governments can prove that this would harm commercial competitiveness or public interest, according to a new report. The principle should be “if in doubt, disclose,” states the report, Dealing with Disclosure, published by Global Witness, the International Land Coalition and the Oakland […]
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25 April 2012
Effective RTI Law Needed in Pakistan; Model Law Drafted
By Muhammad Aftab Alam Alam is the executive director of the newly established Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development (IRADA), a new not-for-profit Pakistani independent policy, advocacy, research and training organization. This article first appeared in The News and is reprinted with permission of the author. “The Indian Right to Information Act, 2005 and its […]
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23 April 2012
Mexican Senate Okays Laveaga to Post on IFAI
The Mexican Senate has approved the appointment of Gerardo Laveaga as a commissioner of the Federal Institute of Access to Information, notwithstanding doubts about his experience and independence raised by nongovernmental organizations. A coalition of 11 groups had opposed his nomination saying it violated Article 35 of the Mexican freedom of information law, which states that […]
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23 April 2012
FOI Amendments in Poland Illegally Passed, Court Says
Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal April 18 has annulled amendments to the freedom of information law passed in 2011. The court ruled that the rules of the legislation process under which the changes were approved violated the Polish Constitution. Polish transparency activists had opposed the changes which were largely aimed at limited access to materials related to the […]
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23 April 2012
Local Bodies Score Better in Georgia Access Study
Access to information by local governments in Georgia is provided “at a higher level and commitment” than by the central government, according to a study by the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information. The latest study was the second phase of research using requests to numerous government bodies to gauge compliance with the law. […]
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19 April 2012
OGP Still Developing Review Mechanism for Action Plans
The process through which the Open Government Partnership will review the implementation of national action plans is still being developed, according to OPG Steering Committee members. The basics of the process are contained in the recently adopted Articles of Governance, but further discussion is expected, particularly on how to involve civil society more in the process, members […]
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19 April 2012
OGP Conference Ends With Enthusiasm, Planning
The Open Government Partnership meeting in Brazil concluded April 18 with new leaders praising the energy shown during two busy days on panel discussions and interactions and looking to the future of the fast-growing institution. Founded officially seven months ago in September 2012, the OGP is composed of nations who agree to make commitments that […]
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19 April 2012
CSOs Hold Session to Plan OGP-Related Activities
“Welcome to a work in progress,” began Warren Krafchik. The new co-chair of the Open Government Partnership, representing civil society, was addressing a room filled with about 150 civil society group representatives, his constituency, who had come to Brazil for the OGP’s first conference. The two-hour meeting was held after the end of the final […]