The Department of International Law (DIL) of the Secretariat for Legal Affairs of the OAS, in fulfillment of the mandate of the General Assembly session held last June, has launched consultations on the thematic areas of the Inter-American Model Law on Access to Information (Model Law) that may need to be updated or amplified.

The Model Law was adopted in 2010 by the OAS General Assembly, which has continued to take decisive steps to expand the right of access to information in the Hemisphere. As well as adopting resolutions each year that promote and recognize the relevance and role of access to information in democratic systems, in June 2016, it adopted an Inter-American Program on Access to Public Information (AG/RES. 2885 (XLVI-O/16), based on a draft prepared by the DIL.

The Program recognizes the vital role of international instruments in the promotion and protection of access to information, as well as the essential role of access to information in electoral and democratic processes; in state governance and anticorruption efforts; in the protection and promotion of human rights, especially the right to freedom of thought and expression; and in freedom of the press. It reaffirms the importance of the Model Inter-American Law in the promotion of this right, and invites the member states to designate points of contact for effective follow-up of its implementation.

At its most recent regular session, the General Assembly adopted a resolution titled “Strengthening Democracy” [AG/RES. 2905 (XLVII-O/17), paragraph ix], in which it requests the DIL, with the support of the focal points of the Inter-American Program on Access to Public Information of the member states and taking into account contributions from civil society, to identify thematic areas in which it considers it necessary to update or broaden the Model Inter-American Law on Access to Information and to forward its findings to the Inter-American Juridical Committee to develop.

In implementation of this provision, the DIL has prepared and disseminated a survey that has been distributed to the focal points designated by the governments, and has launched a consultation process that will enable civil society to participate in this process to update or amplify the Model Inter-American Law on Access to Information. 

The focal points and civil society organizations are invited to participate actively in this consultation and to reply to the survey prepared to that end, which may be obtained at the following address: 

● Survey, click here

The DIL invites civil society organizations to participate in this consultative process. Please complete the survey and forward it to [email protected]  before November 10.