Public Information

Introduction

Public information is a key element of participatory governance since citizen/civil society participation, transparency and accountability in politics and government is simply inconceivable without information. Inadequate public access to information paves the way for corrupt practices and backroom deals.  Freedom of information is recognized as a fundamental human right and citizens’ access to information is hailed as a cornerstone of democracy across the globe. Freedom of information is also considered as crucial in securing and protecting other cultural, social, economic and political rights and in promoting equitable and humane development. While almost seventy countries have now enacted right to information legislation, in practice, citizen access to information remains limited in many parts of the world. Enhancing citizen access to and demand for public information is a first important step towards empowering citizens to participate effectively in governance processes.

Tools in the Public Information category

The Public Information category includes four tools

• Access to Information Monitoring – This is a set of advocacy strategies and methodologies aimed at mobilizing policy makers, legislators and communities towards enhanced public access to information, including lobbying for the adoption and effective implementation of Freedom of Information legislation, informing citizens of their information rights and promoting proactive demand for information.
• Monitoring Access to Information - The Access to Information Monitoring (AIM) tool developed by the Open Society Justice Initiative is a set of three instruments designed to capture information about a country’s laws and practices regarding freedom of information. First, a legal template that provides a basis for assessing a country’s laws and practices against established international standards. Second, a monitoring methodology that facilitates standardization in the submission of requests for information and the types of information requested. Third, a specially designed software that allows multiple partners in a range of countries to input monitoring data in a common format thus enabling comparative analysis of the results
• Tools to Support Transparency  - This set of tools focuses on fostering transparency and access to public information with an emphasis on local governance while strengthening the capacity of both the CSOs and local government agencies.
• Facilitating the Dissemination of Public Information  - This set of tools provides guidance on how to ensure the implementation of freedom of information legislation. It provides advice both for public authorities (at national, regional and local level) and CSOs about putting in place appropriate institutional arrangements for disseminating relevant public information and establishing citizen-friendly mechanisms and procedures for accessing information.
  

Benefits

Benefits

Key benefits of public information tools are:

• Securing, protecting and ensuring citizens’ rights to information.
• Reducing corruption, through enhanced transparency and accountability. 
• Contributing to the protection of human rights and social justice. 
• Fostering an informed citizenry, thus facilitating effective citizen participation in processes of public planning and decision making.

Challenges & Lessons

Challenges & Lessons

• Freedom of information legislation is necessary but not sufficient to achieve access to information.
• Political will is crucial to make Freedom of Information legislation effective.
• Given the frequent reluctance of public authorities to share information and the prevailing culture of official secrecy in many countries, proactive demand by citizens is crucial for achieving enhanced access to information.
• Access to information has to be balanced with the need to safeguard individual privacy and liberty.
• Public information dissemination has an important spill-over effect on other transparency and participatory governance efforts.

Key Resources and Organisations

Key Resources and Organisations