Search Results
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24 May 2017
FOI Notes: Afghanistan, Mexico, OGP, India, Brazil, Zambia, Pakistan, Malaysia, US, EU, More
Afghanistan: The Oversight Commission on Access to Information says a number of government institutions are not implementing the Access to Information Act, including the administrative office of the president, the Ministry of Information and Culture (MoIC), Lower House of Parliament and the Independent Administrative Reforms and Civil Service Commission. “If government creates the commission only […]
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18 May 2017
FOI Notes: Information Commissioners, India, Pakistan, Israel, US
Commissioners Meeting: International information commissioners will be holding a one-day conference on Sept. 20 at the Hilton Hotel in Manchester, England. The program has not been announced. Limited space for public attendance is available. The registration form is here. The commissioners will have a closed meeting on Sept. 21. The conference email contact is icicmanchester2017@ico.ico.org.uk. The […]
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20 April 2017
FOI Notes: Africa, India, US, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Scotland, Bahamas, Nepal
Africa: A map of “access to information and openness” in Africa, done by Global Integrity. Also a related map, on “transparency and accountability,” a wider measure. Links to scores included. India: Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri write that the proposed amendments to the RTI rules “not only make approaching the information commission more cumbersome and legalistic but […]
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13 April 2017
FOI Notes: Italy, India, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Philippines, OGP, Nigeria, Pakistan, US
Italy: The new law on administrative transparency has not generated the expected results, according to report described in R.it (in Italian). Of 800 applications sent by 56 volunteers, seven out of ten received no reply within the 30 days provided for by law, according to study by Diritto di Sapere (Right to Know). See official data on the […]
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30 March 2017
FOI Notes: Tunisia, US, Philippines, Research, Pakistan, Canada, Australia
Tunisia: The organization “Al-Bawsala” criticizes the lack of preparations for the new RTI law as it officially goes into effect. United States: FOIA Exemption 5 does not shield communications between U.S. agencies and foreign government agencies, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals rules in Lucaj v. FBI. Philippines: Government agencies are told to post online their FOI manuals […]
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23 March 2017
FOI Notes: Burkina Faso, The Philippines, Canada, Denmark, Kenya, Pakistan, Australia, US, Malawi, India
Burkina Faso: The Communications Minister explains that the 2015 access law is still not effect, suggesting that changes may need to be made, according to an interview (in French) in Burkina 24. He says a constitutional review is underway because of concerns about the oversight body. The Philippines: The Right to Know, Right Now! Coalition […]
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16 February 2017
FOI Notes: Malawi, Pakistan, Philippines, Bahamas, Nigeria, Tunisia, Zambia, India, US, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Open Data, Open Budgets, Commentary, Ghana, Bangladesh, Vanuatu, Seychelles, Open Eurovision
Malawi: After an unexplained delay, President Peter Mutharika signs to the ATI bill passed last December, according to a Nyasa Times article, making Malawi the 22nd African nation with a FOI regime. Pakistan: A Senate Select Committee approves an RTI bill (text not immediately available), reports Dawn and The Nation. A new clause covers footage from […]
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2 February 2017
FOI Notes: Pakistan, Ghana, Tunisia, India, Togo, New Zealand, Transparency Research, Canada, US, UK
Pakistan: A Senate select committee unanimously agrees on the draft of an RTI bill, report The Nation and Online News. Pakistan: The Punjab Information Commission advises the provincial government to amend all laws and rules that disallow disclosure of information in conflict with Article 19-A of the Constitution and the right to information law, reports Dawn. […]
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26 January 2017
FOI Notes: Nigeria, Malawi, UK, TI, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, US, UN
Nigeria: A court victory for a group of requesters seeking access to documents concerning the Niger Delta Development Commission. An opinion from the court states that the right to information is a human right, awards fees to the requesters and fines the respondents. In another development, The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative unveiled two documents designed to […]
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19 January 2017
FOI Notes: India, Peru, Pakistan, Ireland, Bangladesh, EITI, Afghanistan, Mexico, US, UK, Indonesia
India: A report by RaaG and SNS on the adjudicators of the RTI Act in India — the Supreme Court, High Courts and Information Commissions. Peru: Controversy concerning the creation of the National Authority for Transparency and Access to Public Information. Pakistan: “The Senate Standing Committee on the Right to Information Act-2016 (RTI-2016) deferred the […]
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27 December 2016
FOI Notes: Pakistan, Italy, UNCAC, Germany, Commentary, Transparency Research, Cambodia
Pakistan: “Another year passes without witnessing the passage of the Right to Information (RTI) legislation. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government that promised the world’s best law on transparency has practically backed out of it,” reports Umar Cheema in The News. Italy: Dec. 23 was the first dat when a equest access to information held by […]
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23 November 2016
FOI Notes: India, Commentary, Europe, US, Pakistan, Fiji, Myanmar, Environmental Transparency, Open Data
India: Trust Through Transparency, a glossy 120-page book with stories and pictures about individual successes using the RTI Act is published by the Central Information Commission. See MoneyLife . Some RTI activists condemn the coffee table book as a wasteful expenditure, according to The Hindu. Commentary: “Is Open Data the Death of FOIA?” an article […]
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3 November 2016
Pakistan: A Tale of Two Bills
By Zahid Abdullah The writer is program manager for the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives. This article is from the CPDI blog and was published Oct. 31 in Dawn,. Although citizens are constitutionally guaranteed access to information held by the government in matters of public importance, it seems that the centre, in cahoots with […]
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13 October 2016
FOI Notes: Zambia, Nigeria, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Denmark, Open Data, Privacy, Transparency Research, Contest, US
Zambia: The Civil Society Coalition on Access to Information Law urges speeding up the process of enacting an access to information law despite the failed referendum on the Bill of Rights, reports The Lusaka Times. Nigeria: Right to Know Nigeria reports widespread non-compliance with the 2011 FOIA, issuing a report stating that “ministries, departments and […]
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5 October 2016
FOI Notes: US, Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, Pakistan
United States: The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has launched a beta of the FOIA Wiki, a collaborative and evolving digital resource on the federal Freedom of Information Act. “The FOIA Wiki is part legal guide, part community space for sharing information that aims to serve as a central hub on all manner […]
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26 September 2016
Pakistani Minister Pledges to Bring ATI Bill to Cabinet
Pakistan’s Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid has promised yet again that an access to Information bill will be presented to cabinet for approval very soon. His pledge came to reporters after a ceremony in Islamabad on Sept. 26, as reported by APP. Similar pledges of Cabinet consideration were made in July and August. He said the […]
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4 August 2016
FOI Notes: Pakistan, Honduras, Open Data, Budget Transparency, EU, US, Philippines
Pakistan: The federal ombudsman directs the Pakistan Cricket Board to share details of inquiries conducted against the players involved in match-fixing and betting since 1996. Civil society activist Zahid Abdullah requested the information under the Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002, according to an article in The News. Honduras: The Regional Alliance for Free Expression and Information […]
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6 June 2016
FOI Notes: OGP Contest, Nigeria, India, US, Peru, Pakistan, More
OGP Contest: “Making Transparency Count” is the focus of a new OGP contest, deadline June 27. Read more here. Nigeria: “The Nigerian government has released statement declaring the total amount of cash recovered from looters of the federal treasury since the inception of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure. A statement issued by the Minister of Information, […]
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19 May 2016
FOI Notes: India, Open Algorithms, US, UK, Malaysia, Canada, Pakistan, More
India: The Central Information Commission has ruled that the Cabinet Secretariat cannot deny access to the items on the agenda placed before the Union Cabinet after a meeting is over. A copy of the CIC’s order along with related documents and a detailed write-up about this case are accessible on the website of the Commonwealth Human […]
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11 May 2016
RTI and Citizens: Emerging Trends in Pakistan
By Zahid Abdullah The author is Program Manager for the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives. This article appeared May 8 in The News. One of the core principles of Right to Information (RTI) legislation is that the process of filing information requests should be easy and cost-effective. The logic behind this principle is to facilitate […]