FOI leads to better service delivery
PRESS STATEMENT (55/08)
2 July 2008 Freedom of Information Leads to Better Service Delivery The importance of freedom of information (FOI) legislation, the different experiences in developing them and key components needed were some of the topics for discussion at a regional workshop. “Allowing citizens to access government information under a freedom of information (FOI) law can strengthen the trust between governments and citizens and lead to better service delivery” said Charmaine Rodrigues from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Centre at a “Freedom of Information Workshop for Pacific Policy Makers” held in Honiara, Solomon Islands. The three day workshop is organised by the Pacific Forum Islands Secretariat, with support from the UNDP Pacific Centre, and ended today. The workshop highlighted that to ensure the optimal application of FOI legislation, both the public and government officials need to be made aware of their rights and obligations. Public participation in the ongoing process of developing, implementing and using a law is crucial. Sharing her experience, the Cook Islands Ombudsman Janet Maki said that the Cook Islands Government recognised the importance of freedom of information as one of the pillars of good governance and consequently developed an FOI law. The Cook Islands Official Information Act was passed in February 2008 and comes into force in 2009. “The Cook Islands FOI legislation allows citizens to directly access government information, whereas before they have had to rely on the media or the coconut wireless,” said Ms Maki. She said the Cook Islands FOI legislation was based on the New Zealand Official Information Act and includes provisions for the Ombudsman to investigate and review decisions by government officials to withhold requested information. Ms Maki said the Cook Islands Ombudsman Office was working on the implementation of the Act, which would include awareness campaigns targeting the public and civil servants. The workshop also included a presentation by Natasha Bodden from the Cayman Islands Government’s Freedom of Information Unit. Ms Bodden shared the experience of her Caribbean island country’s in developing and implementing their FOI legislation. The Cayman Islands FOI law was passed by the Legislative Assembly in August 2007 and comes into effect in January 2009. “In Cayman Islands, we have designed FOI legislation which is suited to our island situation, given the smallness of our community,” said Ms Bodden. “We looked at other FOI legislation like those from Jamaica, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the State of Florida and we picked relevant sections of these laws that suited our situation the best,” said Ms Bodden. Ms Maki said she had learnt many good lessons on implementation from the Cayman Islands experience that she was willing to explore further for possible adaptation and application in the Cook Islands. Ms Bodden and Ms Maki both identified changing the public sector mindset of secrecy as a challenge in implementing FOI legislation. Another challenge identified was public records management. Also presenting at the workshop was Andrew Ecclestone from the New Zealand Office of the Ombudsmen who discussed the key components of a good FOI law. “The key principles of access to information laws include a presumption of disclosure, limited exemptions, processes to facilitate access, and a strong, independent mechanism to investigate complaints about non-disclosure,” said Mr. Ecclestone. The workshop is attended by participants from ten Pacific Island Countries - Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. ENDS. For more information, contact, Dr Henry Ivarature, the Forum’s Regional Governance Adviser on phone 677 20071 or email:henryi@forumsec.org.fj or Ms Charmaine Rodrigues, UNDP Pacific Centre’s Legislative Strengthening Expert on 677 20071 or email:Charmaine.rodrigues@undp.org or Shobhna Decloitre, UNDP Pacific Centre’s Media, Communications and Advocacy Associate on 677 20071 or 677 96251 (cell) or email: Shobhna.decloitre@undp.org or Johnson Honimae, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Media Officer on 677 81659, 677 20071 or email: johnsonh@forumsec.org.fj The Pacific Islands Forum, formerly the South Pacific Forum until a name change in October 2000, was founded in August 1971 and comprises 16 independent and self-governing states in the Pacific. The Forum is the region’s premier political and economic policy organisation, and plays a lead role in facilitating the implementation of the Pacific Plan. The Forum’s administrative arm is the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, based in Suva, Fiji. It acts as the Secretariat for Forum-related events, implements decisions by the Leaders, facilitates the delivery of development assistance to member states, and undertakes the political and legal mandates of Forum meetings. UNDP is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. The Pacific Centre, UNDP’s knowledge and regional programme centre in Suva, Fiji is focused on Small Islands Developing States in the Pacific and serves 15 Pacific Island countries. The Centre aims to boost aid efficiency in the Pacific by providing policy advice and technical back stopping in the areas of Crisis Prevention and Recovery, Democratic Governance and Poverty Alleviation and Millennium Development Goals Achievement. |
2008