Fwd: CLD: Only 30% of OGP Action Plans Include RTI Reform

[Henri Christin LONGENDJA]

Pour info

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: gil...@africafoicentre.org
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:12:45 +0100
Subject: CLD: Only 30% of OGP Action Plans Include RTI Reform
To: foi-a...@googlegroups.com, afi...@googlegroups.com,
FOIA...@yahoogroups.com
Cc: mic...@law-democracy.org



11 July 2012: For immediate release

Only 30% of OGP Action Plans Include RTI Reform

Since its launch in September 2011, the Open Government Partnership
(OGP) has become the most high profile international movement for
greater government transparency in the world. However, according to a
Report released today by the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD), only
30% of OGP Participating States have pledged to substantially enhance
their legal frameworks for the right to information (RTI), a core pillar
of government openness.

44 of the 55 OGP Participating States have so far submitted their
Action Plans. These Plans are at the heart of the OGP process, as they
map out States’ OGP commitments. Just 13 of the 44 Plans include a
pledge to engage in serious RTI law reform. The remaining 31 either do
not mention RTI or propose only minor improvements. This is
problematical given that an assessment of the RTI frameworks in those 31
countries, done as part of the RTI Rating, suggests that many of these
countries have serious shortcomings in their laws. Paraguay, which does
not even have an RTI law, failed to make any commitment to adopt one.

“States cannot claim to be serious about open government if they do not
have a strong framework for the right to information,” said Toby Mendel,
Executive Director of the Centre for Law and Democracy. “The fact that
so few OGP Participating States have pledged to make improvements to
their RTI frameworks suggests that some governments may be taking
advantage of the OGP to improve their image while doing little of the
hard work needed to actually enhance transparency, accountability and
citizen participation.”

CLD calls on the OGP to develop clear standards for what is expected
from Participating States. While our Report focuses on RTI, we believe
that the OGP should develop standards relating to all major issues
covered by the core commitments States make when they join, as set out
in the Declaration of Principles.

For RTI, we believe that every State which participates in the OGP
should be expected to have an RTI law; if this is not the case when they
join, they should be expected to adopt one shortly thereafter. There
should be a clear expectation that States with unacceptably weak RTI
frameworks will make commitments to improve them. While some flexibility
is warranted here, States with poor frameworks which are not proposing
to address this should be expected to explain why they have prioritised
other measures.

The Report is available at: http://www.law-democracy.org/?p=2267. The
latest RTI Rating results, which were used in the Report, are available
at: http://www.law-democracy.org/?page_id=1114.

For further information, please contact:

Toby Mendel
Executive Director
Centre for Law and Democracy
email: to...@law-democracy.org
tel: +1 902 431-3688
www.law-democracy.org




--
Henri Christin LONGENDJA
Directeur Exécutif du CODHOD
Avenue LWANGA N° 1517 C/BARUMBU
KINSHASA/R.D.C.
Tél. 00243998211469 - 0899856864
skype : henrichristinlo