News
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14 March 2013
FOI Notes: Rhetoric, Research, Reports, More
Shamparency: A new (?) term used in an article about a new advocacy group formed by President Obama to advocate for his agenda (and about which there are some transparency concerns. The article is focused on the controversial organization of the new group, but the Slate author, David Weigel, begins: Coin a neologism to describe fake […]
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14 March 2013
U.S. Sunshine Week Brings Legislation, Many Reports
Sunshine Week in the United States March 11-15 prompted congressional hearings, new and recycled legislative proposals and numerous reports on the status of freedom of information. In the House of Representatives, a draft FOI bill was offered by Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), a rare […]
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14 March 2013
Malaysia Urged to Enact FOI Law; Fix Two State Laws
Malaysia needs to enact a freedom of information law, two nongovernmental organizations have urged, also pointed to weaknesses affecting the two state FOI laws in Malaysia. The comments came from the London-based freedom of expression group Article 19 and the Malaysian human rights group Suaram in the context of the Universal Periodic Review, a state-driven […]
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13 March 2013
Rwanda Publishes New Law on Right to Information
Rwanda has a right to information law, the 11th in Africa and the 94th in the world. The new law was formally gazetted on March 11 (See Official Gazette No 10, the March 11 issue, page 66). It was passed by parliament in November 2012. The law came into force on the date of publication and several […]
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11 March 2013
Few Governments Providing Financial Support to OGP
By Toby McIntosh Only six of the 58 member countries of the Open Government Partnership have contributed financially to the young organization. Three of the nine government members on the Steering Committee have not provided any funding – Indonesia, Mexico and Tanzania. The lack of contributions comes despite long-standing expectations of voluntary government support, especially […]
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11 March 2013
24 Persons Nominated to Serve as CSO Reps to OGP
Two dozen persons have been nominated to fill three soon-to-be vacant positions as civil society organization representatives on the Open Government Partnership Steering Committee. A list of the names was posted March 11 on the OGP website. There are 6 candidates from Latin America, 2 from North America, 4 from Africa, 5 from Asia and […]
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11 March 2013
Obama Praised, Criticized in New Report on Transparency
The Obama administration is complimented and chastised in a new report on the transparency of his first four years in office. “With the notable, glaring exception of national security, the open government policy platform the Obama administration built is strong. However, the actual implementation of open government policies within federal agencies has been inconsistent and, […]
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8 March 2013
Bahrain Moves to Protect Government Secrets
Bahrain’s Council of Representatives passed a law March 5 to protect government secrets, according to a March 6 article by Mohammed al a’ali in the Gulf Daily News. The law will criminalize leaks and the unauthorized distribution of sensitive documents. “It was passed despite strong opposition from several MPs, including parliament legislative and legal affairs […]
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8 March 2013
FOI Notes: U.S. Sunshine Week, Trade Transparency, Defining Open Government
United States: A rundown of Sunshine Week (March 10-16) events by Gavin Baker of the Center for Effective Government, on a new blog, The Fine Print. Also see Sunshine Week website. United States: The Project On Government Oversight and partner organizations have released Highlighted Best Practices for Openness and Accountability, a report providing examples of […]
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8 March 2013
Plans Hatched to Examine Transparency, Accountability
The creation of a “community of practice” around transparency and accountability is a major goal stemming from a meeting of “an enthusiastic group of funders, civil society organizations, and researchers from all over the world,” according to the convening body, the London-based Transparency and Accountability Initiative (T/AI). Attention will be focused on how to make […]
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8 March 2013
Activists Launch Petition; Austria Offers Draft Law
The Austrian government has offered first-draft freedom of information legislation, a move coming as activists pursue an online petition drive for FOI reform. A civil society initiative, Transparenzgesetz .at, has been supported by more than 7,600 people. The campaign for freedom of information in Austria was founded by former journalist Josef Barth and the anti-corruption […]
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7 March 2013
FOI Notes: OGP, Measuring Governance, Italy, Spain
OGP: The latest OGP civil society newsletter begins: There seems to be a mini epidemic going on in Europe and spreading to Africa of civil society forming coalitions that seek to work together and persuade governments to join OGP. I mentioned Ireland before, where a group called Active Citizen took the lead and might be […]
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7 March 2013
FOI Notes: Profiles of Indian RTI Activists, Job Openings, Articles, Resources
India: Profiles in Mumbai Boss of three RTI filers, including one who has made 10,000 requests. Short, but good reading. A snippet: For Kothari, filing RTI applications seems to be an obsessive hobby. But if it wasn’t for him, perhaps we wouldn’t know that 168 policemen committed suicide between 2002 and 2012, that only four […]
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7 March 2013
World Bank Study Focuses on RTI Implementaton Issues
Right to information laws “will accomplish little” in poor countries, according to the author of new World Bank study, “unless concerted efforts are made to address the broader enabling environment, and appropriate capacity building strategies are devised.” The report by Anupama Dokeniya is based on individual research studies of implementation in eight countries: Albania, […]
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7 March 2013
Portuguese Government Resists Disclosing Key Study
The Portuguese government has refused to release a study about a controversial policy proposal. Defying a recommendation for disclosure from the Commission on Access to Administrative Documents (CADA), the government has relied on another legal standard to keep the study confidential. The government is basing its refusal on Section 11.1 of the Rules of Procedure […]
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4 March 2013
Open Data Day Expands Entries in Data Census
The Open Data Census, an almost one-year-old project of the Open Knowledge Foundation, has been increased in size and scope, now including datasets from 25 cities as well as 48 countries, plus rankings. The census was promoted around the recent Open Data Day 2013 activities and expanded by volunteer contributors who use the data submission […]
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1 March 2013
South Africa Sets June Deadline for Secrecy Bill
Final action on the “secrecy bill” in South Africa has again been delayed. The ad hoc committee of the National Assembly has been given until June 20 to finish its work on the Protection of State Information Bill, which would regulate the classification of state information. The most recent action on the bill was its […]
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1 March 2013
FOI Notes: Human Rights, Research Announcement, Budget Transparency, Russia
Article: “The Right to Information in International Human Rights Law,” by Maeve McDonagh, Professor of Law, University College Cork, Ireland, in Human Rights Law Review. Abstract: This article explores the conceptual basis for the recognition of a right to information. It commences by reviewing developments in the recognition of a right to information in international […]
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28 February 2013
Rights Commission Approves Model African RTI Law
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has approved an African Model Law on Right to Information. Approval came at an “Extraordinary Session” of the Commission in Banjul, The Gambia, over the weekend of Feb. 23-24, culminated a long process. An announcement is expected from the Commission’s Special Rapporteur on Access to Information in […]
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27 February 2013
President of El Salvador Names Institute Members
President of El Salvador Mauricio Funes on Feb. 23 appointed the five members of the Access to Public Information Institute after a delay of more than a year. The president had previous rejected as unqualified the candidates chosen last January through an unusual nomination process. Candidates were elected by open assemblies of five sectors: universities, […]