Tag Archives | Access to information

When transparency rules

13 November 2015 in ALAC, Americas, Civil society, People power

What is the real power of “access to information”? Recently in El Salvador the authorities confirmed that citizens have the right to ask for information on the assets of public officials. What happened next is a powerful contribution to the debate around the effectiveness of transparency tools for accountability and citizen mobilisation. Since the ruling […]

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الوصول إلى المعلومات: فعل جماعيّ، أصوات جماعيّة

14 October 2014 in Access to information, Accountability, Africa and Middle East, Anti-corruption movement, Civil society, Cost of Corruption, Miscellaneous, Politics and government, Whistleblowing

استخدمت فروع الشفافية الدولية في الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا والمنظمات الشريكة اليومَ العالمي للحق في المعرفة لمطالبة الحكومات بوضع موضوع الوصول إلى المعلومات على قمة  أجندتها السياسية. إننا نطالب بقوانين شاملة للوصول إلى المعلومات في البلاد التي لا توجد فيها مثل هذه القوانين، وننادي على نطاق أوسع بتطبيق أكبر في البلاد التي توجد فيها القوانين بما يمكّن […]

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Access to information: collective action; collective voices

13 October 2014 in Access to information, Accountability, Africa and Middle East, Anti-corruption movement, Asset recovery, Civil society, Cost of Corruption, Politics and government, Whistleblowing

Across the Middle East and North Africa, Transparency International chapters and partner organisations used the International Right to Know day to petition governments to put access to information high on the political agenda. We are calling for comprehensive access to information laws in countries where there are none and for greater implementation where laws exist […]

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Legacy of corruption: a challenge at the ballot box and beyond

4 April 2014 in Access to information, Accountability, Aid, Asia Pacific, Cost of Corruption, Defence and Security, Human rights, Impunity, People power, Politics and government, Poverty and development

On 5 April 12 million Afghanis are expected to vote to select their next president. The leading candidates have expressed their fear of corruption on the day of the election: ballot stuffing, vote buying, impersonation and voter intimidation are likely to resurface as during the last presidential elections. An unfair election will tarnish the legitimacy […]

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Corruption must not capsize a sinking state: shoring up the Maldives’ climate sector

13 January 2014 in Climate Change, Measurement and Research, Politics and government

In 2011 the then-president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, held a televised cabinet meeting underwater. Armed with oxygen tanks and waterproof pens, ministers signed a document calling on countries to slash their carbon emissions. Nasheed also pledged to make the Maldives fossil fuel-free by 2020, and announced his intent to buy land in neighbouring India […]

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CPI 2013: Crackdown on Middle Eastern civil society must stop

3 December 2013 in Access to information, Accountability, Africa and Middle East, Civil society, Defence and Security, Human rights, Measurement and Research, People power, Politics and government, Whistleblowing

In the Middle East and North Africa, tear gas, bullets, office raids and imprisonment have been the hallmarks of state and non-state actions against civil society activists fighting corruption. The Bahraini government proposes a draconian NGO law; while Egyptian, Jordanian and other countries’ NGO laws continue to restrict NGO registration, freedom to operate, and international […]

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CPI 2013: Traffic lights in the Americas – lifesavers or urban decorations?

3 December 2013 in Accountability, Americas, Anti-corruption Conventions, Defence and Security, Impunity, Measurement and Research, Politics and government

Imagine a scene in Buenos Aires, Caracas, or any other capital city in the Americas: It is 10:30am and you are in your car rushing to an appointment for which you are already late. You are at a red light. You look to the right, no cars coming, look to the left, no-one. You can […]

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Knowledge empowers: A Palestinian’s quest for transparency

20 September 2013 in Access to information, Africa and Middle East

You have the right to know! You have the right to ask questions and for public officials to answer your enquiry. Unfortunately, Palestine till now does not have an access to information law. This blog post is part of a series drawing on articles from the forthcoming project It Belongs to You: Public Information in […]

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Fighting corruption with bumper stickers and public toilets: ambient accountability

2 November 2012 in Access to information, Accountability, Technology

Anti-corruption activists try to make those in power answerable to people. We call this accountability. NGOs try to make “accountability” happen by training citizens to audit local government or monitor elections, often using social media to report and collaborate. But when the initial enthusiasm for what are often called social accountability instruments fails or issues […]

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