Access to information
It is your fundamental human right to ask for and receive, information held by public organisations and bodies.
You might have heard some of these terms: Access to Information (ATI); Freedom of Information (FOI); the Right to Know (R2K); or the Right to Information. Maybe you have heard about access to information laws or maybe you have even made a freedom of information request for public information.
All these terms point to the same idea – it is critically important to make sure information held by the public, and in some cases private, institutions are available and accessible to citizens.
Why is access to information important?
The right to seek, access and receive information is a fundamental human right guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and Article 4 of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa. It is also recognised in many of the Constitutions of southern African countries.
The right to access information is important because it helps citizens:
Fight corruption
You cannot question what you don’t know. Greater access to information increases the transparency of policymaking and governance.
Participate in democracy
More informed citizens are able to participate more effectively in their nation’s democratic processes.
Access other social and economic rights
As far back as 1946, the United Nations described access to information as the cornerstone of all freedoms because you need information to exercise other crucial rights such as the right to vote, the right to a clean and healthy environment and the right to make informed choices.
Access education and build their capacity
An informed population can better its situation by converting information into knowledge. To do this, citizens need information literacy skills so they can distinguish between information and disinformation; public and private information; and what is ethical and what is not.
Correct misinformation
When citizens can see what information the government holds about them, they can also seek correction of that information if they consider it wrong or misleading.
African Platform on Access to Information Campaign
The African Platform on Access to Information (APAI) Declaration clearly articulates a number of principles that speak to the central role that access to information play in furthering a number of rights including gender equality, health and education, which are all crucial to development.
As the secretariat to the continental APAI campaign, MISA promotes the importance of access to information to the post-2015 development agenda and, where possible, analyses how access to information, freedom of expression and media freedom can be integrated into the new global objectives.
Access to information news from our chapters
Content Production and Practices in the Digital Age: Threats, Risks, and Opportunities
Virtual Presentation by MISA Regional Director Dr Tabani Moyo at the Media, Human Rights, Citizenship and Development Forum 02 December 2024, Maputo, Mozambique. Chairperson, esteemed members of the diplomatic community, MISA Mozambique Governing Council, the media...
Collective efforts vital in fighting gender-based violence
The government, together with the country’s constitutional Independent Commissions Supporting Democracy and civil society organisations, should unite and intensify efforts to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls offline and online. Violence against...
MISA Zimbabwe Analysis of the Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill
Introduction The recently gazetted Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill is meant to modernise the legal framework and industrialise the sector while addressing the issue of motor vehicle radio licences. The Bill, among other issues, seeks to align the Broadcasting...
MISA Zimbabwe analysis and position on new data regulations
The Cyber and Data Protection Act [Chapter 12:07] was gazetted on December 3rd , 2021, and came into force on the same day. In essence, the data protection law mandates that all businesses operating in Zimbabwe (and outside) adhere to data protection and privacy...
Zimbabwe should stay the course in reducing media freedom violations
This year’s International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists (IDEI), commemorated annually on 2 November, offers Zimbabwe the opportunity to reflect on how best it can improve its international press freedom rankings. The commemorations are being held...