News
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30 July 2012
FOI Notes: Research, Aid Transparency, a Tweet
Research: “Modeling the Informational Relationships Between Government and Society” is a new paper prepared for an upcoming workshop by The Research Foundation of State University, New York. The papers describes “the value of an information polity perspective as an approach to broadening and sharpening understanding of the nature of open government initiatives in a holistic […]
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30 July 2012
Information Technology Leads OGP Commitments
Information technology projects are the most popular commitments made by countries in their national action plans submitted as members of the Open Government Partnership, according to a new analysis by Global Integrity. The Washington-based nongovernment organization, which also leads the OGP’s Networking Mechanism, categorized the 45 available action plans using 53 subject tags. The two […]
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26 July 2012
UK Committee Supports Modest Changes to FOI Law
A committee of the British Parliament July 26 concluded that the UK’s Freedom of Information Act “is serving the nation well” and declined to recommend higher access fees or other restrictions. “Supporters of freedom of information will be relieved, but many of its critics will be disappointed,” wrote Martin Rosenbaum for BBC. The unanimous report […]
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26 July 2012
Brazil’s Access Law Active, But Problems Still Remain
By Isabela Fraga Fraga’s article appeared on the Knight Center Journalism in the Americas blog July 23 and is reprinted with permission. It is available in Spanish and Portuguese on the blog. Since the Brazilian Law of Information Access went into effect on May 16, the Brazilian federal government has received 17,516 requests to access […]
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26 July 2012
OGP May Delay London Meeting Until October
The leadership of the Open Government Partnership is considering moving the annual meeting from March to October, according to recently released subcommittee notes, which also indicate the OGP is reviewing a new “Strategic Plan.” The possible new time for the meeting, to be held in London, is one of numerous procedural and policy matters referenced in […]
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25 July 2012
CSOs Begin Discussion of OGP Rotation, Voting Rules
The civil society community of the Open Government Partnership is reexamining the planned system for electing civil society members to the OGP Steering Committee. The OGP civil society coordinator, Paul Maassen, has invited comments from civil society on the mechanism by which the current nine civil society members of the Steering Committee will rotate off the […]
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25 July 2012
OGP Clarifies Suspension Process in Revised Articles
The Open Government Partnership has decided that disciplinary action could be taken after three years if a member acts contrary to the OGP process or to the commitments made in its national action plan. Despite having established a mechanism for suspension, such action by the Steering Committee is not considered likely. Discipline is seen as […]
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23 July 2012
Aquino Doesn’t Mention FOI in State of the Nation Speech
Philippines President Benigno Aquino did not mention the Freedom of Information bill in his annual State of the Nation address July 23, disheartening FOI supporters. The pro-FOI coalition had urged him to draw attention to the legislation, which has passed the Senate but seems to be stalled in a House committee. “The committee’s chairperson, Rep. […]
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20 July 2012
Pakistan Senate Forms Committee to Study FOI
Pakistan’s Senate has formed a subcommittee to work with the information ministry to develop freedom of information legislation. The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting on July 18 approved establishment of the committee, which will be convened by Senator Farhatullah Babar, with senators Syed Zafar Ali Shah and Daud Khan Achakzai as members. The […]
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20 July 2012
Two Weeks Remain for Action on RTI Bill in Ghana
Despite promises of action in July on a right to information bill for Ghana, few signs of progress exist. The chairman of the Joint Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs and Communication of Parliament, Emmanuel Kwasi Bandua, recently said the panel is waiting for input from the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), […]
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20 July 2012
OGP Seeks IRM Comment; Finland Makes 56 Members
The Open Government Partnership, one member larger with the addition of Finland, is seeking public comment on its system for reviewing country action plans. The OGP also is conducting a survey on civil society participation in the OGP process and planning to hold a consultation about how to rotate the civil society members on the OGP […]
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20 July 2012
FOI Notes: Research Calls, Grants, Job Opening, Reports
Open Data: The Web Foundation and International Development Research Centre are seeking proposals for “exploring the emerging impacts of open data in the south.” They want research proposals from specified southern countries by Sept. 10 “that address current gaps in the evidence base underlying the implementation of open data initiatives in the developing world, and […]
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20 July 2012
Azerbaijan President Signs Law on Corporate Disclosure
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev July 6 signed into amendments to the law limiting disclosures by corporate entities, adopted by Parliament on June 12.. Strongly criticized by pro-transparency activists, the changes will curtail public access to information about the ownership of commercial entities, the amount of their charter capital, ownership structure, and other similar data. (See […]
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20 July 2012
Irish FOI Reform Delayed; Government Backs Expansion
Legislation to expand the coverage of the Irish freedom of information law will not be taken up until next April, a key minister has announced, but the government is supporting having the law cover the National Asset Management Agency and the Central Bank. Minister of State for Reform Brian Hayes said the government would act […]
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13 July 2012
Moody’s Says Secrecy Bill Could Affect SA Credit
A top official for Moody’s has cautioned that passage of the South African secrecy bill could affect the country’s credit rating. The comments were made in an interview by Kristin Lindow, Moody’s senior vice-president and regional credit officer for Europe and Africa and subsequently confirmed for FreedomInfo.org by a Moody’s official. Although South Africa’s current […]
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13 July 2012
OGP Summer: Mauldin at Helm, IRM Process Plans
The Open Government Partnership, now with a temporary director, is continuing to work on its plans for the Independent Review Mechanism and still appears to be interesting possible new members. Libya, Tunisia, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zambia have started to explore whether to join by talking with existing members, according to notes from a recent meeting […]
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12 July 2012
FOI Notes: Parliaments, Disadvantaged Communities, Corporate Reporting
Parliaments: OpenParliament.org is inviting comments on a draft Declaration on Parliamentary Openness. The Declaration on Parliamentary Openness “is a call to national parliaments by civil society parliamentary monitoring organizations for an increased commitment to openness and to citizen engagement in parliamentary work. Comments are due by July 31. Disadvantaged Communities: South African History Archive has […]
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12 July 2012
Most OGP Countries Overlook RTI Reform, CDL Study Finds
Only 30 percent of the countries that have joined the Open Government Partnership and submitted action plans have pledged to substantially enhance their legal frameworks for the right to information, according to a report released July 11 by the Centre for Law and Democracy, a Canadian-based nongovernmental organization. “Just 13 of the 44 Plans include […]
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6 July 2012
New Cypriot Presidency in EU Signals Interest in Access
The new Cypriot presidency of the European Union has held meetings on access to information, showing interest in continuing work on the controversial topic, according to a person close the situation. The possible revival comes after the June demise of the Danish presidency’s attempt to broker a compromise. The last gasp of the Danish effort […]
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6 July 2012
Roy Positive on Indian RTI Law, But Sees Challenges
The Indian Right to Information Act “is a galvanizing force that has acquired a momentum that none of us saw coming, and which is going to be impossible to stop,” according to Aruna Roy, an instrumental force behind the law’s passage, who also outlined problems facing the law in a newspaper interview. “What we are […]