?? International Day for Universal Access to Information ???

On the 28th of September every year, the world celebrates the International Day for Universal Access to Information. It was proclaimed by the 74th United Nations General Assembly on the 15th of October 2019. Initially, it was called Access to Information Day, established by UNESCO in November 2015, and first held on the 28th of September 2016.

This year’s theme is “Mainstreaming Access to Information and Participation in the Public Sector” ???.

Access to information is crucial because it allows people to make informed decisions and take effective actions in their daily lives. Without it, making the right decisions becomes challenging. ????? Access to information has increasingly been recognized as a prerequisite for claiming human rights, and is a fundamental right in itself.

As a human right, access to information is backed by international and regional instruments. For example:

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights?(Article 19) : “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression... to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media, regardless of frontiers.”
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 19 )
• African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (Article 9 )
• African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance (Article 19 )
• Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (Articles 9 and 12 )

?? At the national level, Rwanda’s Constitution (Article 38 ) recognizes and guarantees freedom of press, expression, and access to information. Rwanda also adopted the Law N° 04/2013 Relating to Access to Information , reaffirming the government’s commitment to this essential right.

Let’s continue to promote and enjoy the right to access information, especially on this 28th of September, the International Day for Universal Access to Information! ??

#AccessToInformation #HumanRights #SustainableDevelopment #InformationMatters #Transparency ???