PIFS Calls For More Consultation On FOI
PIFS on FOI
39/06
PRESS STATEMENT
4th August 2006
PIFS CALLS FOR MORE CONSULTATION ON FOI
The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat says it is imperative there is wide consultation and education if Pacific Island Countries are going to successfully implement information disclosure policies or freedom of information legislation.
Our leaders including politicians must be given the opportunity to understand the need for freedom of information legislation. And the public must be given the opportunity to want to have and use laws and information, to have the political maturity to make use of information disclosure policies and information legislation, Iosefa Maiava, Acting Secretary General of the Forum said.
Opening a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) workshop for non-government organizations from the region on the Right to Information in Suva, Fiji, today, Mr Maiava said the Pacific Plan contains many initiatives connected to the theme of the Workshop.
This includes the initiatives of Principles of Good Leadership and Accountability, which includes a clear undertaking to make information available to Parliament and the public on budgets, financial management and loans; the initiative of Freedom of Information and Media; the one on participative democracy and consultative decisions making and the initiative on ratification, implementation and reporting on international and regional human rights-based conventions.
Good governance is transparent and accountable leadership and management. It is difficult for the governed to hold the governors accountable unless there is transparency, or unless the relevant information is available, Mr Maiava said
He added: By helping hold governments accountable to everyone including the marginalized, information when available and properly used can indeed have a vital political and developmental impact on the lives of people.
Mr Maiava said there are certain elements of information disclosure or the right to information that are already enshrined in the constitutions of Pacific Islands Counties even though none has a Freedom of Information law at this stage.
The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat is putting together an information disclosure policy because it believes if it is going to convince Forum members, it needs to start with itself.
The Forum Secretariat liaises closely with the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), UNDP's Pacific Sub Regional Centre and the Pacific Centre for Public Integrity (PCPI) to support and provide advice on their work in the area of information disclosure and freedom of information legislation.
Ends.
39/06
PRESS STATEMENT
4th August 2006
PIFS CALLS FOR MORE CONSULTATION ON FOI
The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat says it is imperative there is wide consultation and education if Pacific Island Countries are going to successfully implement information disclosure policies or freedom of information legislation.
Our leaders including politicians must be given the opportunity to understand the need for freedom of information legislation. And the public must be given the opportunity to want to have and use laws and information, to have the political maturity to make use of information disclosure policies and information legislation, Iosefa Maiava, Acting Secretary General of the Forum said.
Opening a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) workshop for non-government organizations from the region on the Right to Information in Suva, Fiji, today, Mr Maiava said the Pacific Plan contains many initiatives connected to the theme of the Workshop.
This includes the initiatives of Principles of Good Leadership and Accountability, which includes a clear undertaking to make information available to Parliament and the public on budgets, financial management and loans; the initiative of Freedom of Information and Media; the one on participative democracy and consultative decisions making and the initiative on ratification, implementation and reporting on international and regional human rights-based conventions.
Good governance is transparent and accountable leadership and management. It is difficult for the governed to hold the governors accountable unless there is transparency, or unless the relevant information is available, Mr Maiava said
He added: By helping hold governments accountable to everyone including the marginalized, information when available and properly used can indeed have a vital political and developmental impact on the lives of people.
Mr Maiava said there are certain elements of information disclosure or the right to information that are already enshrined in the constitutions of Pacific Islands Counties even though none has a Freedom of Information law at this stage.
The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat is putting together an information disclosure policy because it believes if it is going to convince Forum members, it needs to start with itself.
The Forum Secretariat liaises closely with the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), UNDP's Pacific Sub Regional Centre and the Pacific Centre for Public Integrity (PCPI) to support and provide advice on their work in the area of information disclosure and freedom of information legislation.
Ends.
