The government of the South Pacific nation of Tonga on April 10 said it plans to “move forward to develop a Freedom of Information Law.”
The announcement from the Ministry of Information & Communications says that in 2010 the government approved a FOI policy for Tonga.
“In support of the Policy, systems and structures, such as the FOI Unit and the Cabinet Steering Committee, were established to manage a phased process of implementation, which has now been underway for two (2) years,” the statement says.
It further states:
Implementation activities have included the development of public education and awareness materials, training manuals and toolkits for public authorities, the conduct of training and sensitization sessions, and the preparation of budgets. The government has been faced with quite a few challenges along the way, but continues, through the Steering Committee and the Unit, to work on resolving those issues in the best way possible.
“Having established an administrative framework for the exercise of the right to information, the Government will now move forward to develop a Freedom of Information Law which will give to the people of Tonga a legally enforceable right to have access to government information,” according the the statement.
Aylair Livingstone, a technical legal advisor funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), visited for a week beginning April 7, conducting a series of meetings and consultations with key FOI stakeholders.
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