The 38th session of the General Conference of UNESCO, held in November 2015, has proclaimed (link is external) 28 September as International Day for the Universal Access to Information, starting from 2016.
The proclamation:
Invites all Member States, United Nations system organizations, and other international and regional organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and individuals, to celebrate the Day in a manner which each considers most appropriate
Some civil society organizations and government bodies already celebrate 28 September as International Right to Know Day, with activities including conferences, workshops, marches, concerts, publications on access to information, and petitions calling on governments to adopt and implement laws on access to information.
In making the proclamation, UNESCO believes that holding activities such as these on a recognized day:
…will ensure that the day of 28 September is used to engage and educate citizens and public authorities as to the importance of access to information as a fundamental human right and also to take advantage of raising public awareness for its importance, particularly through access to information interventions through media literacy.
The UN proclamation articulates the reasons why right to information is so important:
JUSTIFICATION FOR AN INTERNATIONAL DAY DEDICATED TO THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION
1. An open and transparent government is a fundamental component of a democratic and developed State. As stipulated by the declaration of the African Platform on Access to Information: “… access to information (ATI) is the right of all natural and legal persons, which consists of the right to seek, access and receive information from public bodies and private bodies performing a public function and the duty of the State to prove such information”.
2. Despite the fundamental importance of this right in the facilitation of all other rights and the creation of a fair and equitable society, there are still countries that do not have national legislation on access to information as a specific expression of the law.
3. People around the world are increasingly demanding greater civil participation in public affairs and seeking transparency. In this context, international law targeting an access to information day is necessary to promote the right to information. The establishment of a specific date provides a coherent message at the international level and facilitates coordination of joint initiatives on public awareness and elucidation by organizations in the coherence of a universally recognized day.
4. While the promotion of information and transparency is clearly an ongoing activity throughout the year, a day marked by collaboration is important for advocacy, thus giving a consolidated message on the need for greater access to information so as to raise public awareness.
RTI INDIA fully supports this day, infact it is this day the website of our's was started. We brought the domain name on 22nd September 2016
— Shrawan Pathak 2016/09/22 14:31 ~~LINKBACK~~