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home > foi news > argentina celebrates first open government week |
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20
JUNE 2006 Argentina has joined Mexico and the United States in creating a week-long celebration of open government. On May 20-27, Argentine newspapers and civil society organizations carried out the first Semana Nacional del Derecho a la Información Pública. The campaign encouraged citizens to use or demand for local and freedom of information (FOI) laws, and culminated with the national publication of an access to information guide, entitled "¿Vos Sabés?" (Do you know?) distributed across the country. Throughout the week, newspapers published articles and editorials addressing issues relating to transparency and open government, and NGO's carried on discussions with the private sector on how access to information combats corruption and benefits the business community. Regional governments were also directly confronted with FOI legislation and pressured to approve the laws on the spot. One of the primary topics of discussion was the absence of a FOI law at the national level in Argentina, an initiative which failed to pass through both chambers of congress in 2005, and continues to stall. The week-long initiative led by the Center for the Implementation of Public Policies for Equality and Growth - CIPPEC, and the major national newspaper Clarín, was joined by the journalists' association ADEPA, and civil rights organizations as well as dozens of regional newspapers including Cordoba city's prestigious La Voz del Interior. The "¿Vos Sabes?" guide covered the following topics: "What
is the right to know?
The guide advises the public to use standing national and local laws. Although narrower than an access to information law, in December 2003 President Nestor Kirchner did pass a Presidential Decree - Decreto 1172 that allows for public access to records of the executive branch. There are also a number of jurisdictions that have enacted FOI laws or regulations on the provincial level. However, since Argentina has not been able to pass a transparency law at the national level openness advocates also use international interpretations of the right to information. When creating an information request, for example, experts recommend citing international treaties such as Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 13 of the American Convention on Human Rights, and Article 19 of the International Pact on Civil and Political Rights, which is incorporated into Argentina's National Constitution through Article 75, Section 22. Openness advocates in Argentina stress the problem that most people are not aware of their right to access public information, and few have the necessary means to solicit government records. As civil society groups continue to widen the spectrum of actors in Argentina's openness movement, events such as these will help pressure the government to move forward in enacting a FOI law that covers all areas of government. Links: For
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