Posts Tagged ‘rti legislation’
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19 May 2014
Pakistan Committee Backs RTI Information Commission
The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting has recommended creation of an independent federal information commission and legal protection for whistleblowers. A committee recently finalized its recommendations on the draft Right to Information bill which has been proposed by the ministry, according to Dawn and the Daily Times. The committee also proposed amendments […]
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16 May 2014
Philippines FOI Supporters Start Petition Campaign
Signatures are being collected in support of freedom of information legislation in the Philippines. The drive was kicked off by the Right to Know Right Now! Network and other groups. The campaign may be accessed by logging on to www.change.org/tayonaparasafoi or by clicking here. The Senate has passed a bill, but a House committee assigned it […]
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9 May 2014
Advocates Begin RTI Petition Campaign in Sri Lanka
A petition calling on the government to pass a right to information law is being circulated in Sri Lanka, where efforts to pass a bill have been frustrated in recent years. The Action Committee for Media Freedom Rights activists held an event in Colombo May 5 to launch the petition drive. “This is the only […]
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9 May 2014
Tanzanian Minister Says FOI Legislation Being Prepared
A top minister in Tanzania has stated that a paper proposing a freedom of information bill has been prepared. The disclosure by Constitutional and Legal Affairs Minister Asha-Rose Migiro was reported May 5 in The Guardian. She said the government is committed to observing Open Government Partnership (OGP) as part of its efforts to enhance […]
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29 April 2014
Access Bill in Paraguay to Face Test in House Debate
Civil society groups in Paraguay are pushing to amend a proposed access to information bill that they say is too restrictive and some in Congress argue is totally unnecessary. The House is expected to debate the legislation on May 13, according to a media report (in Spanish) and FreedomInfo.org sources. The Senate adopted an access […]
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11 April 2014
US Senate Passes Bill on Spending Transparency
The US Senate has passed bill intended to make government spending more transparent. The Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (S. 994), passed April 10 by unimous consent, would require the treasury secretary and the director of the Office of Management and Budget to establish government-wide financial data standards as a first step toward more robust […]
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11 April 2014
Aquino Official Discloses Goal of Marrying FOI, Open Data
The government of Philippine President Benigno Aquino is interested in amending the pending freedom of information bill to address the subject of open data. Little detail is available on the concept, which was exposed publicly April 8 by Edwin Lacierda, the government’s chief spokesman during a World Bank forum. “What we have decided is instead […]
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11 April 2014
Tonga Making Plans to Pass Right to Information Bill
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 […]
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11 April 2014
Vanuatu Institutes RTI; Pledges to Pass Legislation
The government of the Republic of Vanuatu on April 8 officially launched a right to information policy and again indicated plans to pass an RTI law. The RTI policy was approved in 2013 and commits the government to release all information to the public, subject to certain exceptions protective of a number of interests such […]
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4 April 2014
EU Parliament Votes to Release Clinical Trial Data
The European Parliament voted April 2 to make public information about clinical trials for drugs. The new law is expected to go into effect in 2016 and will affect only new clinic trials. (See Reuters .) “The vote, which confirms an informal deal reached in December between Parliament and the European Union’s 28 member states, […]
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21 March 2014
Hong Kong Ombudsman Calls for FOI Legislation
Hong Kong Ombudsman Alan Lai Nin has called on the authorities to introduce freedom of information legislation, but others said action in not likely. His report after a year of study includes 12 recommendations. A summary states: We find that under the purely administrative ATI regime in Hong Kong, key components of the FOI laws […]
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17 March 2014
Draft RTI Law in Palestine Given Weak RTI Rating
The Council of Ministers in Palestine has proposed a right to information law that scores poorly on a rating system for RTI laws. Also, the Council’s draft is weaker than one developed by the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA), according to an analysis by the Canadian-based Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD). An […]
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17 March 2014
Some Critics Decry Aquino Hands-Off Stance on FOIA
The leading Senate sponsors of the freedom to information bill in the Senate has said public pressure will bring about passage of a bill, taking a more charitable view than others on President Benigno Aquino’s continuing decision not to “certify” the bill as urgent. Sen. Grace Poe’s confidence contrasts with the growing concern among commentators […]
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10 March 2014
Philippines Senate Passes FOI Bill Without Dissent
The Philippines Senate on March passed a freedom of information bill on third and final reading. All senators present voted in favor of the measure, according to a report by the Philippines Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) and one in The Inquirer. “While the Senate breezed through the FOI, the House version continues to meander […]
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6 March 2014
Setting the stage for a Philippines FOI law
By Purple S. Romero and Jerryll Reyes The authors co-wrote a chapter on the “Politics of Freedom of Information Bill in the Philippines” in the book Room for Maneuver: Social Sector Policy Reform in the Philippines. The book, published by The Asia Foundation, will be launched on March 4. This article appeared originally March 1 […]
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4 March 2014
Philippines Senate Nears Passage of FOI Bill
The Philippines Senate March 3 approved on second reading a freedom of information bill, after making some amendments. The FOI bill (Senate Bill 1733) is expected to pass on third and final reading on March 10. Senate passage has occurred regularly in recent years, but passage in the House has been the hang-up. Once again, the […]
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21 February 2014
House Group Starts Working on Philippines FOI Bill
Slow progress has been made by a Philippines House Committee to write a freedom of information bill. The Technical Working Group appointed last year began substantive talks on the bill for the first time Feb. 18, several days after a self-imposed Feb. 14 deadline for completing the job. After getting through the first six sections, the […]
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21 February 2014
Fiji FOI Decree Expected Soon, Attorney General Says
Fiji’s Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says an access information decree will be issued in a few months, according to report by Shanal Sivan for FBC News. Sayed-Khaiyum noted a provision for freedom of information under the 1997 constitution. “He says they are currently compiling some important documents and decrees, before the elections, after which they […]
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17 February 2014
Cost-Conscious Isle of Man Consults on Draft FOI Bill
The Isle of Man on Feb. 10 began a six-week public consultation on proposed freedom of information legislation drafted with an eye on potential costs. Chief Minister Allan Bell said in the announcement explains that the bill strikes a balance between the competing demands of openness, confidentiality and affordability. “The Council of Ministers remains committed […]
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14 February 2014
Oman Panel Discusses Draft Information Access Legislation
Oman’s Shura Council’s Committee on Media and Culture has discussed a draft information access law , according to a brief report in The Oman Tribune. Committee Chairman Hamouda Bin Mohammed Al Harsosi “commended members of the technical team for drafting the law on the right of information access, wishing that the current session would be […]