Coalition On The Right To Information (RTI), Ghana Commemorates The First Anniversary Of International Day For Universal Access To Information (IDUAI).

The Coalition on the Right to Information (RTI), Ghana joins other human rights advocates across the globe today September 28^th to celebrate the first International Day of Universal Access to Information (IDUAI).

This date which has been observed every year as ‘the Right to Know day’ by activists all over the world received recognition and endorsement by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 17 November 2015 when UNESCO member states adopted a resolution declaring September 28th as the‘International Day for Universal Access to Information’ (IDUAI).

This recognition by UNESCO means that the discourse on, and the advocacy for the passage of ATI laws in Africa has gained global attention and can no longer be wished away by politicians.

The celebration of the IDUAI this year is specifically relevant to the new 2030 Development Agenda, and in particular to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 16.10 which encourages all countries to ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements

The RTI Coalition is marking the first anniversary of IDUAI this year with the theme:‘Informed Citizens, Better Governance’.The objective is to re-echo the point that the right to information as guaranteed by the 1992 constitution can only be effectively exercised and implemented on the basis of a law regulating it. As part of the activities to mark the day, the Coalition in partnership with the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) Consortium which includes SEND Ghana and GACC is mobilizing civil society groups at the community level to submit a petition to their members of Parliament with signatures gathered from their constituents.

The Coalition would also like to commend countries whose governments have taken the bold step to pass the ATI law. We would specifically like to commend Kenya and Tanzania - the countries with the latest FOI laws in the continent. It is our hope that Ghana will take a cue from the current wave of openness and transparency moving across the continent and join the bandwagon to be listed among the progressive countries with an ATI law in Africa and the world.

We are conscious of the fact that Ghana is going for elections this year, and if the current government with its parliament fails to pass the RTI Bill, that would mean asking Ghanaians to go through another lengthy cabinet and parliamentary processes with the new government and parliament

ISSUED BY THE RTI COALITION, GHANA, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016