The International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) was proclaimed on 15 October 2019 at the 74th UN General Assembly to be held on 28 September, following the adoption of the 38 C/Resolution 57.

Initially the day (commonly called the Access to Information Day) was designated by the UNESCO General Conference. The decision to celebrate and promote 28 September as the International Right to Know Day was taken on the last day of a Freedom of Information litigation conference held 26-28 September 2002 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Representatives of Freedom of Information (FOI) organizations from 15 countries took part – Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia, Hungary, India, Latvia, Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova, Rumania, Slovakia, South Africa, and USA, as well as representatives of international organizations active in the FOI field. On 28 September 2002, the FOI activists established the International Freedom of Information Advocates Network (FOIAnet), Access to Information Programme (AIP) being its co-founder and active member. The members of the newly found FOIAnet agreed to collaborate in promotion of the individual right of access to information and open, transparent governance and adopted a Memorandum setting forth the goals and activities of the network. Today, the members of the FOIAnet are over 200 organizations and civil groups from around the globe which exchange knowledge and experience and undertake international initiatives for better freedom of information standards. FOI activists around the globe organize a variety of events and initiatives on 28 September to raise awareness on the right of information and to campaign for open, democratic societies in which there is full citizen empowerment and participation in government.

Conferences, trainings, competitions, awards ceremonies, rock and pop concerts, theatre performances, movies, launch of info-requesting campaigns and new web sites, focused publications, etc. aim to further promote this fundamental human right and encourage citizens, journalists and NGOs in their search for government held information. In some countries, the Right to Know Day elaborated in Right to Know Weeks. Music has been composed especially for the occasion. In November 2015, UNESCO declared September 28th as the “International Day for Universal Access to Information” and was first held on 28 September 2016.The UNESCO resolution creating the day was pushed by African civil society groups seeking greater information transparency. Currently only 17 African Union me mber states have adopted national right to information laws, and groups like Open Government Partnership hope that the recognition of the right to information will “provide an important platform for all stakeholders at national level to discuss the adoption and effective implementation of national right to information laws in line with continental and international standards and obligations.” However, African civil society groups like MISA Zimbabwe have noted that states like Zimbabwe which do have Right to Information laws still have a long way to go to ensure they improve governance. In 2016, MISA Zimbabwe used Access to Information Day to criticise Zimbabwe’s poor information transparency provisions, noting that, “While Zimbabwe was one of the first African countries to adopt an access to information law in the form of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), the law in question is a far cry from its purported import and impact.”

Links:
Day for Universal Access to Information

Right To Know Day