The Asian Development Bank Sept. 27 appointed the three members of its new Independent Appeals Panel to review appeals under its revised Public Communications Policy.
The panel members, who will serve for three years, are:
- Surasee Kosolnavin is a former executive director of Thailand’s Official Information Commission. An attorney, he was a commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand and is now president of the Sathirakoses-Nagapradipa Foundation, a Thai nongovernmental organization committed to social justice, human rights, and environmental protection.
- Maeve McDonagh is a professor of law at University College Cork, Ireland, a senior fellow of the University of Melbourne, and deputy chair of the Press Council of Ireland, and is the author of “Freedom of Information Law in Ireland.”
- Muhammad Zamir is currently Chief Information Commissioner, Information Commission of Bangladesh. He is a former career diplomat who has worked as ambassador in various countries and as Permanent Representative to various international organizations. Zamir served as Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has also been involved with civil society organizations associated with monitoring corruption and good governance issues.
The ADB’s new policy came into effect April 2 and included creation of the panel.
“Other changes include the earlier release of information on ADB-financed sovereign projects, release of audited project financial statements for sovereign projects, and strengthened communications with people affected by ADB projects,” the Bank said, adding. “The revised policy puts ADB at the forefront of transparency best practices among international financial institutions, maintaining the core guiding principal of the 2005 policy of presumption in favor of disclosure.”
Filed under: IFTI Watch