ICIC-UNESCO Sign Joint Memorandum of Understanding

Today we celebrate the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between UNESCO and ICIC.

Through this arrangement, UNESCO and ICIC confirm their commitment to strengthening global awareness and promotion of the universal right of access to information. The MoU sets out how both organisations intend to work together through joint projects and capacity building in order to achieve this.

The ICIC, through its founding Johannesburg Charter, has established a permanent network connecting member Information Commissioners and similar bodies to share information and improve their capacity in order to protect and promote access to public information as a fundamental pillar to social and economic welfare and democratic governance.

Together, UNESCO and ICIC acknowledge the importance of the national, sub-regional and international instruments relating to freedom of information and freedom of expression, particularly paragraph 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which guarantees the fundamental right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.UNESCO and ICIC look forward to joining up their expertise and resources to strengthen the legal guarantees through which information is made available to citizens and emphasize, particularly in these challenging times, the crucial role Information Commissioners and similar bodies play in the promotion and dissemination of international standards relating to the protection of human rights, freedom of expression, transparency and access to information and ensuring that these guarantees are observed across the world.
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding comes on the same day UNESCO announced the publication of the first Global Report on the Implementation of Access to Information Laws (based on monitoring of SDG Indicator 16.10.2).

The UNESCO press release can be read here.