Search Results
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4 October 2013
Punjab Issues Ordinance on Right to Information
The state of Punjab in Pakistan has decreed a right to information law. The “Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Ordinance 2013” (text) has been introduced as an ordinance, making it valid for 120 days. After that it lapses unless approved by the provincial assembly. “Great development here and we are very excited!!,” commented Zahid […]
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26 September 2013
Pace of Activity on FOI Legislation Still Vigorous
The pace of passing access to information laws may be slowing, but not the number of bills under consideration, according to a FreedomInfo.org tally. Is a slowdown under way in the blistering adoption rate seen in the past two decades? Twelve laws been adopted already in the latest three-year (2010-2012) period (calendar years), but only […]
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13 August 2013
Punjab Seeks Comment on New Version of RTI Bill
The Government of Punjab, a state in Pakistan, has requested public comment on “The Punjab Freedom of Information Act 2013.” The draft was issued Aug. 7 and is available here and here. It has been approved in principle by the Cabinet. Public comments were requested within 15 days to dgprmh@gmail.com. In the state of Khyber […]
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13 June 2013
FOI Notes: Transparency Champions, OGP Strategy, EU, Open Data
Transparency Voices: The Guardian features 12 transparency advocates: Peru Carlos Arroyo, national co-ordinator for Peru’s Anti-Corruption Network, Lima Nigeria Faith Nwadishi, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative board member; national co-ordinator, Publish What You Pay Bangladesh Hasibur Rahman, Management and Resources Development Initiative executive director, development worker, rights activist Mexico José Luis Moyá, consultant and landlord, Mexico […]
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11 April 2013
Afghanistan Considering Draft Law on Access to Information
A draft access to information law has been prepared in Afghanistan and comments received, but it remains unclear whether government’s proposal will be adopted. The government came under pressure in September from civil society and media groups to prepare an access law. Civil society also demanded a fixed timeframe to pass the law and […]
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20 March 2013
Punjab Cabinet Advances Criticized RTI Legisaltion
The Punjab cabinet on March 11 approved the Freedom of Information Act 2012. The bill expected to go to parliament for further action, after a coming election, is an improvement over a previous version. It would rate a 105 on the scale for evaluating legal frameworks by Access Info Europe and the Centre for Law and Democracy (Global Right to […]
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31 December 2012
Punjab FOI Bill Proposed, Critic Voices Reservations
The government of Punjab has prepared freedom of information legislation, according to media reports, but one early reaction suggests that much information would be exempted from disclosure. The “bureaucracy” of the Pakistani province has finalized the draft, according to a Dec. 21 article in The Dawn. “The draft was finalised during a meeting of the administrative secretaries […]
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6 December 2012
Irish Minister Proposes Joining OGP; Others?
A top minister in the Irish government has proposed that Ireland join the Open Government Partnership and more information has emerged about the possibility of membership by Australia, and other countries. The Irish Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, in a Dec. 5 address stated, “I intend to bring proposals to Government shortly […]
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21 November 2012
FOI Notes: African Model Law, Music, Jobs, Open Data
African Model Law: A posting on the Open Society Foundations website by Maxwell Kadiri & Chidi Odinkalu describes the effort to create a model RTI law for Africa. The report says that Pansy Tlakula, the Human Rights Commission’s special rapporteur on the right of access to information “has delivered” on the project begun in 2010. […]
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1 October 2012
Groups Update Comparative Ratings for Access Laws
The Access Info Europe and the Centre for Law and Democracy on Oct. 1 issued updated ratings for the legal frameworks governing access to information in 92 countries. Serbia retained its top ranking, with 135 points out of a possible total of 150, while Austria was in bottom place, with 39 points. AIE and CLD […]
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27 September 2012
Additions Continue to FOI Family, Pace Slows
Two countries passed freedom of information laws in the year since the last Right to Know Day – Brazil and Yemen. This represents a lessened pace from the exceptionally high number of bills approved in previous years — in six countries and Jersey. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) In about half a dozen countries, however, FOI […]
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4 May 2012
U.S. Boosts FOI as Criteria for Receiving Foreign Aid
The United States has revised an indicator used to decide which countries qualify for foreign aid, somewhat elevating the importance of freedom of information and unfettered internet access. The changes were made last year by the Millenium Challenge Corporation, which uses a multi-faceted scorecard system to determine which under-developed countries qualify for development assistance. Not […]
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5 March 2012
Trinidad and Tobago Join OGP as 53rd Member
Trinidad and Tobago is the 53rd country to join the Open Government Partnership. A Feb. 22 letter from Minister of Foreign Affairs and Communication Surujrattan Rambachan indicating a desire to join was added to the OGP website March 3. With the latest addition, almost two-thirds of all 79 eligible countries have joined the multilateral effort […]
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16 February 2012
RTI Implementation: Comparing Experiences in Southeast Asia
By Chiranjibi Kafle The writer is Head, Department of English, RR Campus, Kathmandu. This article was originally published in Republica and is reprinted with permission. More than 90 countries in the world today have introduced Right to Information (RTI) legislations to safeguard people´s access to public information. But the implementation part has not been smooth. […]
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31 October 2011
Designing Exemptions That Balance Both Effective and Accountable Governance
By Muhammad Zamir Zami is Chief Information Commissioner, Information Commission, Bangladesh. He gave this talk Oct. 4 at the Ottawa, Canada, meeting of the International Conference of Information Commissioners. His original title is: “Limiting the limitations: Designing exemptions that balance both effective and accountable governance” I hope I am permitted to say that our meeting […]
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30 September 2011
Some Ineligible OGP Countries Ask How to Join
Countries who do not currently qualify for membership in the Open Government Partnership have been asking how they could get in the door. Botswana, Mauritius and Tunisia are among a half dozen ineligible countries that have expressed an interest, according to Caroline Maudlin, Special Assistant to the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Democracy and […]
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27 September 2011
7 FOI Laws Pass in Past Year; 18 More Under Consideration
By Toby McIntosh Freedom of information laws were created in seven countries in the year since the last Right to Know Day, notable positive changes were recorded in four other countries and active efforts to pass laws are under way in about 18 nations, according to a FreedomInfo.org survey. Since International RTK Day 2010, first-time […]
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20 September 2011
Open Government Effort Officially Begun at NYC Event
World leaders inaugurated the 46-nation Open Government Partnership Sept. 20 in New York City with speeches about the value of open government. Endorsing a declaration on open government, the partner countries agreed to issue national action plans in which they make commitments to advance open government on many fronts. The eight founding members issued their […]
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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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9 August 2011
Bangladesh: RTIA and People’s Right to Know
By A.J.M. Shafiul Alam Bhuiyan Dr. A.J.M. Shafiul Alam Bhuiyan is an Associate Professor of Mass Communication and Journalism at the University of Dhaka. He is a news media and Internet researcher. This article first appeared in The Star and is reprinted with permission of the author. Can or will the Right to Information Act […]