Indigenous Peoples - August 2011
Survey on Access to Public Information
 Dear
Indigenous Representative,
To celebrate the International Day of the World’s
Indigenous People at the beginning of this week on
Tuesday August 9th, the Organization of American
States (OAS), through its Department of
International Law, highlights the right of all
indigenous and tribal peoples in the Americas to
access to information.
In 2009, the Department of International Law adopted
the Program of Action on Indigenous Peoples in the
Americas in order to provide conditions for
promoting and strengthening the participation of
indigenous peoples in political, economic, social,
and cultural life of their and within the
international sphere. In this context, the
Department participates in designing programs and
projects which aim to recognize and enforce
indigenous peoples’ right to access to information;
particularly covering those issues that affect their
rights and / or interests.
Survey on Access to Public Information
We are conducting an anonymous survey on Access to
Public Information among Indigenous Peoples and your
response is very important to us.
>>>>
Click here to express your opinion.
This survey will take no more than 2 minutes and is
also available on our website. Thank you very much
for your participation!
What is access to
information?
Access to Information is a right of all citizens of
the Americas. Information under the control of
public authorities – essential in order to make the
state more transparent in its operations, more
effective in terms of its action, and more
responsible in terms of individual rights and public
needs and demands – is acquired NOT for the benefit
of public officials and politicians but for the
benefit of society as a whole. Access to information
is therefore a right that is needed for:
1. THE FUNCTIONING
OF DEMOCRACY: Without transparency and without an
informed electorate, an election has no legitimacy
or democratic meaning.
2. STATE GOVERNANCE: Without transparency,
governance in all its senses becomes opaque and
state function becomes corrupt, as do state
officials.
3. ACCOUNTABILITY: Without access to information,
corrupt public officials operate with impunity, and
without responsibility for their actions.
4. HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION: Without information, the
result is a world in which human rights violations
can be hidden and perpetrators evade justice. Lack
of information also nullifies the role played by
human rights defenders.
|
