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Dear All RTI Activist,
as we are aware that International Right to Know Day – is on Wednesday-28 September-2011.
The aim of having a Right to Know Day is to raise awareness of the right to information. It is a day on which freedom of information activists from around the world can use further to promote this fundamental human right and to campaign for open, democratic societies in which there is full citizen empowerment and participation in government.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF--0uXYJos&feature=related
International Right to Know Day was established by access to information advocates from around the globe. It was first celebrated on 28 September 2003, and 2011 will see the 9th International Right to Know Day.
On 28th September 2002, freedom of information organizations from around the world met in Sofia, Bulgaria, and created a network of Freedom of Information Advo...cates (FOIA Network). They agreed to collaborate in promoting the individual right of access to information and open, transparent governance, and proposed September 28 be designated as International Right to Know Day, in order to symbolise the global movement for promotion of the right to information. In order to celebrate this day and to create public awareness about the newly enacted Right to Information legislation in India.The aim of Right to Know Day is to raise awareness of every individual's right of access to government-held information: the right to know how elected officials are exercising power and how the tax-payers' money is being spent.
Below you will find some ideas about how to celebrate International Right to Know Day in your country.
If you are organising an activity in your country to celebrate Right to Know Day (or Right to Know Week) fill in the form below so we can add your activity to our world Right to Know Day map... coming soon!
Ideas of What You Can Do for Right to Know Day
if you are an NGO / civil society organization ... hold an event, a debate, an award ceremony .... write a press release ... hold a discussion with a local community group or in the local school ... print up posters and t-shirts and hand them out in the streets ... get people involved and, best of all, get them exercising their rights by filing request for information!
if you are an individual ... file a request for information, write a letter to your local newspaper, ask your local town hall to put up notices telling people about the right to information, or ask them to put more information on their website ... write to your local council or to your member of parliament and ask them what they are doing to promote government transparency!
if you are a teacher or pupil ... have a discussion in class about the right to know and why open government is important ... think of some requests you can file with your local authority or with a government body such as the Ministry of Education ... find a local issue that you would like to know more about such as the quality of the drinking water or the budget for the sports centre and file requests for more information!
if you are a librarian or write an Internet blog ... you already understand the value of information, so make sure you inform your members/readers about Right to Know Day!
if you are a journalist ... write an article about Right to Know Day around the world and/or about local transparency issues ... if you have never filed a request before using your national access to information law, now is the time to start, and then make a story out of what happens!
if you are an Information Commissioner ... join in the publicity for the day by holding an event or issuing a press release ... hold a competition that will encourage openness such as the best government website or the department with the fastest average response time for answering requests ... publicize examples of information disclosure that has helped strengthen the relationship between the public and the government ... send a memo to government departments reminding them that 28 September is International Right to Know Day and emphasizing that transparency is nothing to be afraid of because everyone is doing it!
if you are a public servant or elected member of government ... ask yourself you are doing to help promote open government ... find out what the department you work in is doing to be more open ... think about how you can manage information better so that it's easier to provide to members of the public ... put some more information on your website so that the public has a better idea about what you are doing ... and if your country has an access to information law, talk to the people in your department who are responsible for giving out information and find out what you can to do help them respond to requests within the timeframes established by law!
if you are still not sure what to do ... take a look at the http://rticup2010.blogspot.com/ for more information about what the members are doing and what you can do ... we can also put you in touch with the local access to information organization in your area ... and please, send us your reports and press cutting so that we can make our Right to Know Day Map as full as possible this year! Thank you
as we are aware that International Right to Know Day – is on Wednesday-28 September-2011.
The aim of having a Right to Know Day is to raise awareness of the right to information. It is a day on which freedom of information activists from around the world can use further to promote this fundamental human right and to campaign for open, democratic societies in which there is full citizen empowerment and participation in government.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF--0uXYJos&feature=related
International Right to Know Day was established by access to information advocates from around the globe. It was first celebrated on 28 September 2003, and 2011 will see the 9th International Right to Know Day.
On 28th September 2002, freedom of information organizations from around the world met in Sofia, Bulgaria, and created a network of Freedom of Information Advo...cates (FOIA Network). They agreed to collaborate in promoting the individual right of access to information and open, transparent governance, and proposed September 28 be designated as International Right to Know Day, in order to symbolise the global movement for promotion of the right to information. In order to celebrate this day and to create public awareness about the newly enacted Right to Information legislation in India.The aim of Right to Know Day is to raise awareness of every individual's right of access to government-held information: the right to know how elected officials are exercising power and how the tax-payers' money is being spent.
Below you will find some ideas about how to celebrate International Right to Know Day in your country.
If you are organising an activity in your country to celebrate Right to Know Day (or Right to Know Week) fill in the form below so we can add your activity to our world Right to Know Day map... coming soon!
Ideas of What You Can Do for Right to Know Day
if you are an NGO / civil society organization ... hold an event, a debate, an award ceremony .... write a press release ... hold a discussion with a local community group or in the local school ... print up posters and t-shirts and hand them out in the streets ... get people involved and, best of all, get them exercising their rights by filing request for information!
if you are an individual ... file a request for information, write a letter to your local newspaper, ask your local town hall to put up notices telling people about the right to information, or ask them to put more information on their website ... write to your local council or to your member of parliament and ask them what they are doing to promote government transparency!
if you are a teacher or pupil ... have a discussion in class about the right to know and why open government is important ... think of some requests you can file with your local authority or with a government body such as the Ministry of Education ... find a local issue that you would like to know more about such as the quality of the drinking water or the budget for the sports centre and file requests for more information!
if you are a librarian or write an Internet blog ... you already understand the value of information, so make sure you inform your members/readers about Right to Know Day!
if you are a journalist ... write an article about Right to Know Day around the world and/or about local transparency issues ... if you have never filed a request before using your national access to information law, now is the time to start, and then make a story out of what happens!
if you are an Information Commissioner ... join in the publicity for the day by holding an event or issuing a press release ... hold a competition that will encourage openness such as the best government website or the department with the fastest average response time for answering requests ... publicize examples of information disclosure that has helped strengthen the relationship between the public and the government ... send a memo to government departments reminding them that 28 September is International Right to Know Day and emphasizing that transparency is nothing to be afraid of because everyone is doing it!
if you are a public servant or elected member of government ... ask yourself you are doing to help promote open government ... find out what the department you work in is doing to be more open ... think about how you can manage information better so that it's easier to provide to members of the public ... put some more information on your website so that the public has a better idea about what you are doing ... and if your country has an access to information law, talk to the people in your department who are responsible for giving out information and find out what you can to do help them respond to requests within the timeframes established by law!
if you are still not sure what to do ... take a look at the http://rticup2010.blogspot.com/ for more information about what the members are doing and what you can do ... we can also put you in touch with the local access to information organization in your area ... and please, send us your reports and press cutting so that we can make our Right to Know Day Map as full as possible this year! Thank you
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