Promoting freedom of information in Morocco
27.01.2015 - Paris, France
© UNESCO, What information can you ask for?
Though a necessary condition for a healthy democracy, the right to access to public information was little known in the Maghreb region before its introduction into the Moroccan Constitution in 2011, which in the same year was followed by the Tunisian decree-law on freedom on information and subsequent 2014 constitutional reform. These major advances are the result of a long involvement on the part of civil society organizations. All along this road towards transparency and good governance UNESCO has offered its expertise.
No previous action has been so pivotal in the fight for public administration transparency. In June 2011, Morocco recognized in Article 27 of its new Constitution that “citizens have the right to access to the information held by public administration, elected institutions, and public service bodies”. In May 2011, the Tunisian Parliament announced a decree-law concerning the right to access to information. Following continuous advocacy by UNESCO and other stakeholders, the right to access to information was introduced in 2014 in the new Tunisian Constitution. These measures are evidence of a considerable advance in the stance of governments and public institutions regarding transparency.
The right to access to information and its progress in Morocco
The right to freedom of information is used to inform society on occurrences of bad management and corruption. It can also lead to a more participative democracy; access to information for all, including journalists, legal practitioners, and researchers; the development of freedom of expression; better efficiency of public services; the promotion of equal opportunities for all; and the emergence of responsible governance, etc. UNESCO has facilitated and offered its expertise to defenders of freedom of information and journalists in the region. For example, the Organization convened a series of trainings on international standards, as published in French the report: Towards the right to access to public information: the recent advances of norms and practices, and on investigative journalism, in cooperation with the French embassy in Tunisia and Canal France International. The results of these efforts are visible. On the political front, measures have been undertaken by the authorities to archive administrative documents. The School of Information Science in Rabat, specialized in information management, established in 1974 with the technical assistance from UNESCO, started to participate in the debates on access to information in Morocco. Moreover, legal decisions of Rabat’s administrative court were based on Article 27 of the Constitution allowing for complainants to win cases related to the attribution of public procurement.
Finally, with the support of UNESCO, the Moroccan network for the right to access to information (Réseau marocain pour le droit d’accès à l’information, REMDI), advanced its advocacy by reinforcing its network in Morocco and within the Arab region. Furthermore, public awareness was raised through the celebration of the International Right to Know Day. Among UNESCO’s main courses of action were exchanges of best practice regarding access to information at the regional level.
The challenges that remain
However, Morocco and Tunisia still have to adopt the freedom of expression legislation that meets with international best practices and standards.To assist civil society and governments in this process, UNESCO’s Rabat Office published a guide on good practices and international principles on access to information and facilitated a series of round tables on the analysis of the draft freedom of information law in Morocco.UNESCO is providing support at a pivotal moment as the Government of Morocco is preparing to adopt draft law 31.13 on freedom of information. If Morocco and Tunisia finalize these constitutional advances in line with international standards, they will join the 94 other countries in the world that have a freedom of information law.
All of these actions were made possible thanks to the support of the Government of Finland.
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