Freedom of Information

The CPA works closely with the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, the World Bank Institute and other interested organizations to encourage and assist Commonwealth Parliaments to enshrine in law an effective right to information regime which serves as a check on government as well as a way to increase citizens’ participation in their own governance.

Through workshops and publications, the CPA increases awareness and understanding amongst policy-makers of the practical value of freedom of information, best practice legislative principles and effective implementation. CPA activities reinforce networks among Parliamentarians, Attorneys General, Law Ministers and senior civil servants so they fully appreciate that freedom of information contributes to good governance, transparency and public participation.

• In 2004, a CPA Study Group on Freedom of Information met in Ghana with support from the World Bank Institute and expert input from the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI)and Article 19.
• CPA,  in collaboration with NZ AID and the CHRI, organized a Pacific Workshop in the Fiji Islands in 2005.
• A further regional Workshop for the Caribbean was held in November 2006 with support from the Canadian International Development Agency, Carter Centre, CHRI, OAS and the World Bank Institute. This time, representatives of civil society and the media were included to generate a broader understanding of the issues across their communities.

Resources

• 50th CPA Plenary Conference in Canada presentations on the topics Right to Information: Best Practice Law-Making Principles and The Right to Know
• Article XIX Model Freedom of Information Law
• Carter Center's Access to Information: A Key for Democracy,
• CHRI's Open Sesame: Looking for the Right to Information in the Commonwealth
• Commonwealth Secretariat's Model Law,
•  UNDP's Access to Information Practice Note