IFAI working for better info access
Participates in drafting model law with OAS
Martes, 12 de Enero de 2010
THE NEWS Mexico CITY In order to promote the development of a culture of transparency in the Americas, the Federal Institute for Public Access to Information (IFAI) will share its experiences for the drafting of the Inter-American Model Law on Access to Government Information, to be held in Washington by the Organization of American States (OAS).In this document, the Institute will share Mexico's experiences with the OAS in order to enrich the content development and editing of the document, reported the IFAI.To these ends, IFAI's Commissioner, Maria Marvan Laborde, is in Washington with a group of specialists on the issue. She is joined by experts from Chile, Argentina and the OAS who are also participating in the drafting of the document. The participants have involved the IFAI in drafting the Model Law, as well as its Guide for Implementation, due to its recognition of the leadership of Mexico in this area, as well as the Federal Law on Transparency and Public Access to Government Information, and the technological mechanisms that have been developed for the effective implementation of the law.The work that began in 2009 will continue on the 12 and 13 of Jan. The document is expected to be ready in March so that it can be submitted before the OAS Assembly for approval.The OAS has convened this group of experts on public access to government information in order to draw up the Model Law, in accordance with Article 13 of the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights that guarantees freedom of expression and considers indispensable the right of all human beings to seek and receive information.The IFAI recalled that the decision of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (CIDH) in Claude Reyes vs Chile, clearly established that American nations have the obligation to adopt domestic legal measures that guarantee access to information that for whatever motive or manner is under the control of the State. The Court's decision sentenced Chile to take necessary measures to build the capacity of all public officials to respond to applications for access to information. The sentence also emphasized that the response of the State to requests for access to information, by any member of the public, must always be clear, expedient and substantial.In this context, the Organization of American States recognized the right to government information as a human right and added that this is an essential condition for all democratic societies.
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