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PUBLIC ACCESS TO INFORMATION VITAL TO DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT

Experts at an Organization of American States (OAS) meeting today concluded that access to public information is vital to strengthening democracy, human rights protection and equitable development in the hemisphere’s nations.

Evelio Fernández Arévalos, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) Chairman, told participants at a special meeting of the OAS Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs that not only is access to information vital, per se, but is also indispensable to “effective democracy, full implementation of the law, respect for human rights, stable markets and socio-economic justice.”

In opening remarks at the meeting convened to share experiences and knowledge on access to public information and its relationship to citizen participation, Fernández Arévalos explained that it is widely acknowledged that without public access to information from the state machinery, the benefits of free expression cannot materialize fully. He said access “promotes transparency in state operations, facilitates accountability, enables informed public debate on an ongoing basis, and strengthens public opinion.”

The head of the OAS human rights agency noted too that access to information that is in the hands of the state is necessary to prevent public officials from violating the law with impunity, a situation that also erodes the citizens’ trust in public institutions.

Meanwhile, in his opening remarks, Chairman of the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs Ambassador Francisco Villagrán de León of Guatemala stressed the need for governments to be agents promoting a culture of openness and transparency at all levels. He cited active participation by the media and civil society as equally vital.

Access to information is “a cornerstone of democratic governance,” said Villagrán de León. “It is also an essential ingredient for the consolidation of democracy.” The CAJP Chairman spoke as well about citizens’ expectation that freedom of information commits governments to be open, and that democratic governance must be based on better access to services, on transparency and on an accountable public service.

Villagrán de León commended the significant number of member states that have adopted access to information laws, and acknowledged several others that are in the process of drafting legislation accordingly.

Besides the OAS experts, the one-day meeting drew participation from such institutions as Inter-American Dialogue, Peruvian Press Council, Mexico’s Federal Institute for Access to Information, the Inter-American Juridical Committee, and Canada’s Department of Justice.

Among top agenda items were the relationship between access to public information and democratic governance; the right to hold government accountable; practices and experiences in access to information; government obligation to guarantee and respect media and freedom of expression; regional challenges in implementing legislation on public access to information; and the establishment of a legal framework to maximize transparency within countries as well as regionally.

Reference: E-104/06