Public participation fundamental in FOI legislation
PRESS STATEMENT (54/08)
2nd July 2008 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION FUNDAMENTAL IN FOI LEGISLATION Public participation is one of the key fundamentals in all freedom of information (FOI) legislation and policy. Natasha Bodden, Policy Analyst in the Freedom of Information Unit of the Cayman Islands Government emphasized the value of public engagement throughout the entire process of developing and implementing FOI law during a presentation on the implementation of the FOI legislation in the Cayman at the Freedom of Information Workshop for Pacific Policy Makers held in Honiara, Solomon Islands this week. The Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, passed its FOI Law in October 2007. The law will come into force early next year. “There needs to be a process for ensuring the participation of the public in this critical development. The public’s views must be obtained so a system that meets their needs is designed.The effective implementation of FOI legislation is a joint partnership between the government, the holder of information and the public,” says Ms Bodden. Ms Bodden also emphasized presentation the importance of records management and developing a culture of openness for the successful implementation of FOI legislation. “Officials must learn to change their mindset to recognize that the information they hold is owned by the public and citizens have a right to obtain information,” says Ms Bodden. “Without accurate, complete and timely records and the means of finding and releasing information, an access regime is bound to fail. Records are at the heart of any information regime.” Ms Bodden further emphasized that for a successful implementation of FOI legislation it is important to have a strategy for training that includes sensitization of Ministers, public servants, heads of agencies, information managers, records officers and other key individuals within government. The three-day Freedom of Information Workshop for Pacific Policy Makers, which ended today, is organized by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat with support from the United Nations Development Programme Pacific Centre. The regional workshop is attended by senior government officials from 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 679 330 0399 or email:Charmaine.rodrigues@undp.org or Shobhna Decloitre, UNDP Pacific Centre’s Media, Communications and Advocacy Associate on 679 3300399 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