Posts Tagged ‘events/conferences’
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27 April 2015
Commissioners Concerned About Challenges to RTI
Thirty-five information commissioners from 25 countries, meeting April 21 in Santiago, Chile, “expressed concern” regarding “some important challenges” to the right to information. In particular, the commissioners identified: The continuing inequalities that limit the right to access information for all citizens, The deterioration of the right to access information because of the approval of legislation and public […]
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5 February 2015
Nigeria FOI Advocates Seek More Training of Judges
Nigerian Freedom of Information advocates on Feb. 2 called for “the sensitization of judges” about the Freedom of Information Act because many of them are issuing “decisions that are inconsistent with the spirit and letters of the Law.” In a communiqué at the end of their three-day Freedom of Information Implementers Strategy Meeting, held in […]
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22 January 2015
FOI Notes: Many Countries, Many Transparency Topics
Scotland: Reforms are necessary to counter the erosion the law, according to an anniversary report by Scottish Information Commissioner Rosemary Agnew. India: “What has ten years of RTI achieved?” asks the headline to an article in The Tribune by Pamerla Philipose. Open Government Partnership: “What to watch for in 2015,” an outlook article by the OGP staff. […]
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7 January 2015
Meeting of Commissioners Set for April 21-23 in Chile
The ninth international meeting of information commissioners will be held April 21-23 in Chile. A preliminary program shows that there will be two days of speeches and panel discussions followed by a day for private meetings of national information commissioners. The conference will take place in Universidad Católica de Chile, in Santiago. Attendance is open […]
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23 May 2014
FOI Notes: Books, Articles, Conference
Book: La transparencia informativa de las Administraciones públicas (Information transparency of public administrations. The right of the people to know and the duty to disseminate public information actively) by Miguel Angel Climent Blanes has just been published by Thomson-Reuters Aranzadi (ISBN: 978-84-9059-397-4). The author is s Doctor in Law and has served as an officer […]
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7 February 2014
EU Council Obstructs Ruling on Transparency
By Staffan Dahllöf This article first appeared in Wobbing EU on Feb. 7. Dahllöf is a freelancer who regularly contributes to the website Wobbing EU. (FreedomInfo.org reported on the referenced October ruling.) The Council of the EU has classified its own reaction to a landmark ruling on transparency by the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg. […]
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12 November 2013
Challenges Faced in Mexico, Guatemala and Nicaragua
By Alejandro Martínez This article was published Nov. 11 on the Knight Center Journalism in the Americans blog. After decades of a culture of virtually impenetrable secrecy within the Mexican government, in 2002 Mexico passed the Federal Access to Information and Personal Data Protection Act. Since then, it has become an often-cited model of how other […]
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2 November 2013
Ideas Emerge to Bring Open Data, RTI Efforts Closer
Suggestions for improving cooperation between the open data and right to information communities emerged during a session Oct. 31 at the Open Government Partnership summit in London. The ideas came during a temperate discussion among persons from each community. One suggestion was to work together to compile example of access laws being used to get data […]
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7 October 2013
Awards Programs Reward Effort, Chastise Opacity
By Toby McIntosh Only this audience would laugh so heartily at five surrealistic stories about government denials of access to public information. The incredulous appreciation of unfortunate stories stemmed from shared experience. The 100 persons attending the annual awards ceremony in Sofia, Bulgaria, were a community celebrating the pro-transparency efforts of journalists, activists and public officials. “Golden Key” […]
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18 September 2013
Breadth of Access Laws Discussed at ICIC Meeting
The potential for access laws to cover corporations, and the rationale for such scope, was discussed Sept. 18 at the conference of information commissioners in Berlin. Speakers debated increasing access about corporate information, among other topic. Maeve McDonagh, of University College Cork, said, “The boundaries between the private and public sectors have been increasingly blurred […]
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27 August 2013
FOI Notes: Manning, World Bank, UK, US, Open Data, OGP, India, Grants
Whistle-Blowing: A post on the Open Society Foundations website says the 35 year sentence for Bradley Manning is out of step with the punishment he would have received in other democracies, and certainly not in line with international law, including as the Tshwane Principles. IFTI Watch: The World Bank has released a new report — […]
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8 February 2013
Roadmap Developed During Conference in China on Government Transparency
(The following report is from the Carter Center.) Peking University Law School and the Carter Center jointly hosted a conference on December 12-13, 2012, entitled “Government Transparency and Innovations: Achievements, Challenges, and the Way Forward,” in order to consolidate knowledge about China’s achievements and progress in this area, and to consider next steps in overcoming […]
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21 December 2012
FOI Notes: Measuring Transparency, Calls for Papers, Reports, More
Measuring Transparency: “What is Government Transparency?: New Measures and Relevance for Quality of Government,” by Monika Bauhr and Marcia Grimes of The Quality of Government Institute, Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg. The abstract says: As policymakers and researchers focus increasing attention on the importance of government transparency for accountability and good governance more […]
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30 November 2012
FOI Notes: Ibero-American Agreement, Call for Papers
Ibero-American Agreement for Transparency and ATI: Drafted recently in Cadiz, Spain, by representatives from 19 Latin America countries and three from Europe (Spain, Portugal and Andorra), this document contains many other agreements along with the Transparency and ATI. The statements on transparency and access are on page 80. (pdf in Spanish) Drafted under the auspices […]
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19 March 2012
U.S. Sunshine Week Brings Reports, Hearings, Meetings
Sunshine Week in the United States is the time when many organizations announce studies on various facets of access to information, Congress holds hearings on the FOIA, conferences are held and editorials are written. Debate continued this year on the adequacy of the Obama administration’s record on transparency. Lauren Harper of the National Security Archive […]
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6 October 2011
Banisar Outlines Global FOI Challenges in ICIC Closing
Many of the future challenges for freedom of information are on the global stage, stated David Banisar, senior legal counsel of Article 19, in the final speech at the 7th International Conference of Information Commissioners in Ottawa, Canada. The agenda should include pushing for more information in the environmental context, transparency at the United Nations […]
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6 October 2011
Views on Open Data Contrast During ICIC Sessions
The sometimes discordant relationship between traditional advocates of freedom of information and the champions of open data was on display during several sessions Oct. 5 at the 7th International Conference of Information Commissioners in Ottawa, Canada. One Canadian open data advocate called reforming FOI laws a low priority. FOI traditionalists, while supported the release of […]
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5 October 2011
Info Commissioners Approve Resolution on Transparency
Information commissioners from around the world Oct. 5 approved a resolution supporting expansion of right to information laws and supportive of the Open Government Declaration issued Sept. 20 in connection with launch of the Open Government Partnership. The commissioners, however, dropped a proposed line urging countries to join the Open Government Partnership. The explicit endorsement […]
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5 October 2011
RTI Evaluations Described at October Ottawa Conference
Several evaluations of right to information laws were discussed at a session Oct. 5 at the 7th International Conference of Information Commissioners in Ottawa, Canada. Toby Mendel, executive director of the Centre for Law and Democracy, presented the Right to Information Rating (See previous FreedomInfo.org report) and the ratings from the six question campaign (See […]
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5 October 2011
Singh Cautions That RTI Can Unleash Powerful Forces
Shekhar Singh, of the National Campaign for People’s Rights, described the successes and challenges of the right to information law in India and cautioned that RTI can unleash unexpected forces that could have undemocratic consequences. He spoke Oct. 5 at the 7th International Conference of Information Commissioners in Ottawa, Canada. First discussing the success of […]