10 December 2003
Commonwealth Survey Shows Right-to-Information Deficit
9 December 2003
The Commonwealth should urge its member states to adopt right-to-information laws and be a role model for open governance, says a new report released by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI).
"Open Sesame: Looking for the Right to Information in the Commonwealth" surveys the Commonwealth's 54 member countries and finds only 10 of them have right-to-information laws.
"The Commonwealth has a deficit of both democracy and development. Open government is the answer and entrenching people's right to access information is the most practical way to achieve this," the report says.
CHRI says the Commonwealth's agencies should lead by example and assist member states in implementing access-to-information laws. CHRI is a non-governmental organisation that promotes awareness of human rights in Commonwealth countries.
Read its report here: http://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/default.htm
Visit these links for information on access to information laws:
- ARTICLE 19: http://www.article19.org
- freedominfo.org: http://freedominfo.org/
- Freedom of Information Advocates Network:
http://www.aip-bg.org/~foianet/
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