International Day for Universal Access to Information 2020
UNESCO
ICIC jurisdictions and activities for the day
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has launched a campaign website to show our support for this important global event. , The OAIC has coordinated efforts across Australian jurisdictions to collaborate on shared activities to recognise the event.
The campaign theme – Building trust through transparency – highlights the importance of access to information in supporting crisis response and recovery, including during the current pandemic.
The OAIC are hosting an information session for members of the Information Contact Officers’ Network. They have also published a new FOI Essentials online toolkit to help FOI decision makers understand the principles and benefits of FOI and uphold the requirements of the FOI Act and the Information Publication Scheme.
The Queensland Office of the Information Commissioner (Australia) is celebrating the International Day on 28 September with the theme, Building trust through transparency. The campaign is focusing on how the right to information can empower citizens and hold governments accountable in times of crisis. Information about the campaign is available on our website. Queensland government agencies have been invited to partner with them to raise awareness and take the opportunity to reinforce their commitment to the right to information, providing a range of resources including posters, social media banners, and animations.
OVIC has developed an integrated digital campaign to celebrate International Access to Information Day 2020. Information about OVIC’s activities and materials, including how to register for events, can be found on OVIC’s website, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
OVIC has developed a number of resources such as; social media tiles, email signature block and web banners; two video animations; new guidance for agency staff on assisting with freedom of information (FOI) requests; new guidance for the public on the exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic); and joint statement by the Association of Information Access Commissioners.
Week long celebrations have also been arranged regarding live webinars, information on these events can be found here.
To mark this day, Information Access Commissioners and Ombudsmen from across Australia and New Zealand will release a joint statement and will be hosting a series of virtual events between 28 September and 2 October 2020.
The Office of the Information Commissioner is holding three online events to promote and discuss information access and rights under the Western Australia FOI Act 1992 (WA). Information is available at OIC WA.
The Bermuda ICO will be hosting an event on 28th September: issuance of the 2020 Right to Know Day Information Commissioner’s Declaration. The Bermuda ICO will also be launching its “I Want to Know” public awareness video campaign. More information is available at www.ico.bm.
The Public Service Information Community Connection, based in Canada, is hosting a virtual event. It runs from September 28 to October 1. The first day is free, but there is a fee to access the other three days. The OIPC of Alberta, and other Canadian colleagues, are part of the advisory board. Additionally, the OIP is part of a panel on Managing Requests and Appeals During a Pandemic.
The Commissioner is also speaking at a separate virtual event on Monday, Sept. 28 titled “Artificial Intelligence for Information Accessibility”. It is a free event organized by UNESCO’s Information for All Programme, in partnership with the University of Alberta’s Kule Institute and the International Centre for Information Ethics.
On 28th September 2020, to commemorate the International day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), the Commission on Administrative Justice (Kenya) has planned the following:
Hold a Commemoration event on the 28th September 2020 at the Nairobi Safari Club which will be centred around this year’s theme of “Access to Information – Saving Lives, Building Trust, Bringing Hope.”
During the event, officially launch the Journalist’s Handbook on Access to Information.
The handbook was developed in partnership with the Media Council of Kenya and will be the principle reference material for journalists in the course of their duties with the goal of ensuring dissemination of impactful and factual information to the public. It will also be instrumental in providing content for trainers for sensitization on Access to Information.
The Commissioner in charge of Access to Information, Mrs. Lucy Ndung’u, will speak as a in a high level panel discussion during the Joint UNESCO-ICIC Webinarthe topic “Access to Information implementation and Crisis Resolution during COVID-19 Outbreak”. She will speak alongside the information Commissioners from Argentina and South Africa.
The Scottish Information Commissioner’s office will be publishing the Commissioner’s Annual Report, highlighting the challenges and strengths of FOI in a changing environment. This will be circulated to Members of the Scottish Parliament, key Scottish Government contacts and a range of stakeholders across civil society, public authorities and the media in Scotland
An article will be published from the Commissioner on their website highlighting why FOI is so very important at this time, and tying directly with IDUAI. Attendance of the Scottish Public Information Forum will also mark IDUAI with stakeholders from across a range of sectors as they update one another with progress and developments in the FOI landscape in Scotland. The Scottish Information Commissioners Office will also promote the event via social media.
The Council of Transparency and Good Governance will actively participate in the 5th edition of the International Congress of Transparency, to be held from 28th September to 1st October online.
This Congress will have more than 600 participants from 21 countries and 22 working groups, all of them related to the right to know, transparency of public Institutions, citizen´s participation and Open Government. The Spanish Council of Transparency and Good Governance will participate in a round table organised by the Coalition for Access the 28th September, and will organise a working group on Court Decisions about the right to access to information, together with other Regional Authorities. Moreover, a Declaration is going to be adopted in order to claim to public authorities an improvement of the measures guaranteeing the right to access to information and the means dedicated to it. Moreover, our Authority will intervene in some TV programs with occasion of the International Day of the Right to know.he Scottish Information Commissioners Office will also promote the event via social media.