Search Results
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10 October 2016
World Bank Official Agrees to Meet With ATI Community
By Toby McIntosh A top World Bank official promised Oct. 7 to meet with representatives of the access to information community early in 2017 to discuss World Bank activities in the ATI area. The Bank remains committed to ATI, with regional and national Bank offices now taking the lead, said Debbie Wetzel, Senior Director of […]
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5 October 2016
Kim Dodges Question About World Bank ATI Capacity
By Toby McIntosh World Bank President Jim Yong Kim Oct. 5 dodged a question about why the Bank decimated its staff capacity to work on access to information issues. The president sidestepped the inquiry at a public meeting with civil society organization by saying the Bank never had “an access to information unit” and so […]
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29 September 2016
FOI Notes: New Reports, Country News, 27 Items
Latin America: The Regional Alliance for Free Expression and Information issues a comprehensive report, Sabar Mas VIII, (in Spanish) on the progress, challenges and opportunities concerning access to information across Latin America. Southern Africa: IFEX releases a report with national evaluations prepared by MISA Chapters in Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Each […]
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26 September 2016
Ghana’s President Backs Passage of RTI Legislation
Ghana’s president John Dramani Mahama Sept. 26 reiterated his support for passage of a right to information bill pending on Parliament, but added, “I don’t know where it is.” “I believe it is something we should complete and make available so that people can have a legal basis for demanding information if there is reluctance […]
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2 September 2016
NGO Complains to OGP About Israel’s Behavior
Israel is acting in ways contrary to the principles it endorsed when becoming a member of the Open Government Partnership, according to a nongovernmental organization, the Alternative Information Center (AIC). After a month’s delay, the Open Government Partnership on Sept. 2 posted the four-page letter dated July 25. The OGP Criteria and Standards Subcommittee met […]
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28 July 2016
FOI Notes: OGP, US, Bulgaria, India, Spain, Open Data, Slovakia, Open Budgets, Board Game
OGP: See proposals for sessions at the OGP December summit in Paris, including many on access to information. OGP: “The inconvenient truth about the Open Government Partnership,” by Mukelani Dimba, Executive Director of the Open Democracy Advice Centre and incoming civil society chairperson of the Open Government Partnership, describes how OGP member states Kenya, Nigeria and South […]
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21 July 2016
FOI Notes: Liberia, SDGs, India, US, Bangladesh, Kosovo, Open Data, More
Liberia: President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has created an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Women’s Access to Information, led by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Ministry of Information, “to develop appropriate policy framework and reforms that address any constraints and guarantees women’s access to information,” according to her statement. SDGs: A letter from […]
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30 June 2016
FOINotes: UNEP, US, US, Open Data, Uganda, Blockchain Technology, More
UNEP: Carole Excell from the World Resources Institute is appointed as the outside member of the Access to Information Panel of the UN Environmental Programme. United States: “The Public And Its Right To Know,” by Kathleen Weldon, Director of Communications for the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at Cornell University. “While the public has widely […]
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12 May 2016
FOI Notes: Africa, FOI Research, South Africa, Open Data, Anti-Corruption, Way More
Africa: A World Bank blog reports, “African countries come together to address gaps in managing digital information for open government.” On April 22 and April 29, representatives from Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Sierre Leone, South Africa, and Tanzania met to discuss “an issue of mounting concern: managing records and information to support open […]
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5 May 2016
FOI Notes: Research, Press Freedom Day, Regional and Country News, More
International: A commissioned by the Transparency and Accountability Initiative and curated by Thomas Carothers of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace – “short, forward-looking think pieces by leading scholars and activists on the future of the transparency and accountability movement.” International: At a World Press Freedom Day conference more than 1,000 media practitioners and stakeholders, […]
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17 March 2016
FOI Notes: OGP, US Sunshine Week, Country News, Research Reports, More
OGP: The OGP Working Group on Access to Information has extended until March 23 the deadline for applications to serve on the Steering Committee. Complete the attached form and return it to megan.card@cartercenter.org with a CV. OGP ATI WG Steering Committee App_FINAL_with fillable text OGP: The OGP announces the names of the 16 “shortlisted candidates” vying for six […]
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28 January 2016
Malawi President Resists FOI Law, Seeks to Limit Use
By Toby McIntosh Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika is insisting that access to information (ATI) legislation should not cover existing government information, saying the bill should only apply prospectively. His stance continues to delay passage of a long-promised ATI bill and runs counter to international norms. “Many followers of the Bill see this as merely a […]
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22 December 2015
RTI and Progress on Anti-Corruption Efforts
By Ayode Longe and Edetaen Ojo Longe is Programme Manager and Ojo is Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda. This report is one of the chapters in the State of RTI in Africa Report 2015. Reprinted with permission. Some, but not all, footnotes have been converted to hot links. The Nigerian Freedom of Information (FOI) […]
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30 November 2015
FOI Videos
This collection of videos promoting freedom of information is drawn from the FreedomInfo.org archive, plus additional research and reader contributions. This list includes a variety of promotional videos, some inspirational talks and a few instructional videos. Generally avoided were lectures, news broadcasts and nation-specific educational material (possibly an area for a future archive). It is arranged chronologically […]
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26 November 2015
FreedomInfo.org Collection of FOI Videos
This collection of promotional videos about freedom of information is drawn from FreedomInfo.org articles in recent years, plus some additional research and arranged loosely chronologically. This archive includes a variety of promotional videos, some inspirational talks and a few instructional videos. Generally avoided were lectures, nation-specific material and news broadcasts. Suggestions for additions are very […]
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25 November 2015
South Pacific, Open Data, Commentary, Fun Video, News From Many Places
South Pacific: Rick Snell and Rowena MacDonald publish an article, “Customising Freedom of Information Law Reform in South Pacific Micro-States,” on Taylor & Francis Online in The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs. Abstract: This article highlights the importance of adopting a pluralist approach to developing freedom of information (FOI) schemes within specific states […]
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19 November 2015
`Right’ Out, `Access’ Used Instead for New UNESCO Day
By Toby McIntosh UNESCO’s decision to declare name Sept. 28 as “International Day for the Universal Access to Information” instead of “International Right to Information Day” has sparked comment and raised questions about the derivation of the change. Dropping the word “right” has bothered some activists who consider UNESCO’s chosen name using “access” too long […]
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17 November 2015
UNESCO Names Sept. 28 Access to Information Day
The UNESCO General Conference voted Nov. 17 to designate Sept. 28 as “International Day for the Universal Access to Information,” according to a UNESCO official. The date has been celebrated as “Right to Know Day” since 2002 when international civil society advocates developed the idea during a Sept. 26-28, 2012, conference in Sofia, Bulgaria. The […]
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12 November 2015
UNESCO Committee OKs Designation of Sept. 28
The Communications and Information Commission of UNESCO on Nov. 11 discussed and approved a proposal to designate Sept. 28 as International Day for the Universal Access to Information. The resolution is expected to be approved by the UNESCO General Conference during its meetings in Paris Nov. 3-18. Minutes from the committee meeting indicate that the […]
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19 October 2015
UN Body Advances Proposal For International ATI Day
The Executive Board of UNESCO Oct. 19 adopted a resolution recommending that Sept. 28 be recognized as International Access to Information Day. The resolution next heads to the 38th Session of UNESCO’s General Conference, which will take place in Paris from Nov. 3 – 18. UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. […]