International Day for Universal Access to Information
IDUAI 2017 - Around the World
Brazil
Brief description:
The right to information is key in the battle to fight poverty and improve people’s lives. The availability and accessibility of information promotes transparency, ensures better governance and reduces inefficiency and corruption. Information gives people the opportunity to improve their own lives, participate in the decision making process that affect them, and hold their leaders to account.
Citizens in Brazil are using the Access to Information Law to help them fight for better access to, and a better quality of, public services. The country has adopted legal protections ensuring public access to information about their activities. However, there is still much work to be done both with law and those without to ensure that all people are able to obtain the information they need.
The event will debate, raise awareness and present case studies on projects where access to information has been used to help citizens and communities achieve their rights under the SDGs
Partners:
- Ministry of Transparency of Brasil – CGU
Date and Time:
TBD
Venue:
Brasilia
Media contact:
Adauto Candido Soares, Coordinator, a.candido@unesco.org, Tel: +55 (61) 2106-3557
Webpage of event or link to Field Office:
Available soon
Cuba
Brief description:
As Cuba´s ICT sector takes off with increasing internet access and the development of the software and mobile applications industry, girls and women find new avenues for empowerment. The workshop aims at sensitizing relevant stakeholders from the ICT sector on gender equality challenges at global and national level and on the contributions of access to information and knowledge to the achievement of SDG 5. Moreover, the activity will focus on mapping potentialities of the ICT sector to offer innovative solutions for women’s information needs and on encouraging the development of ICT products and apps aimed at fostering women’s empowerment.
Partners:
- Cuban Union of Informatics
Date and Time:
19-20 September 2017, 2:00 p.m.
Venue:
Havana
Media contact:
Elena Nápoles, National Professional Officer, UNESCO Regional Bureau for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean, UNESCO Havana, e.napoles-rodriguez@unesco.org, Tel: 53 78327741
Webpage of event or link to Field Office:
Egypt
Brief description:
During the period 24 - 28 September in the framework of the celebration of UNESCO's International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), ITU and UNESCO are organizing a regional ICT Accessibility Week for Arab States. In line with the theme of IDUAI 2017, “Overcoming Divides and Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”, this week seeks to raise awareness of the critical role played by information in supporting holistic and sustainable national development. In particular, the week draws attention to the needs of persons with disabilities and highlights the role that ICT can play in overcoming various information and societal barriers t9hat persons with disabilities face.
In Egypt, four events are organized at the American university in Cairo as part of this week on 27 and 28 September:
28 September 2017
* ITU-UNESCO High-level Symposium - Overcoming Divides and Achieving the SDGs: Supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities and vulnerable group. (9:00 – 13:00)
This High Level Symposium will consist of keynote speeches as well as an interactive panel discussion by diverse stakeholders involved in supporting the implementation of the SDGs in Egypt. The exchanges will serve to raise awareness of ongoing initiatives aimed at overcoming barriers to information/social incluion. Through the sharing of experiences, the event will highlight opportunities for collaboration.
* Mitigating PWD Inclusion Challenges Using ICT (9:00 – 12:00)
This workshop organized by the Egypt ICT Trust Fund, the International Labour Union (ILO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will highlight achievements and ongoing activities of a 3-phase national project that aims to create broader participation in the labour market for persons with disabilities.
* ITU/UNESCO Workshop on Organizing Accessible Meetings (14:00 – 17:00)
This workshop will focus on raising awareness on the measures that stakeholders, particularly regional and international organizations, should take in organizing their meetings, workshops, conferences and other activities to insure that they are accessible to persons with disabilities.
27 September, 2017
* ITU/UNESCO Web Accessibility Training (9:00 – 17:00)
This 2-day course targets officials involved in creating ICT accessibility policies, project managers, website developers, and other digital content creators. The course will cover aspects such as : what is web accessibility? How to implement it in terms of policy and organization processes? Web Content Accessibility Standards as well as their implementation and validation.
Partners:
- American University in Cairo (AUC)
- Egyptian National Commission for UNESCO
- Egypt ICT Trust Fund
- International Labour Organization (ILO)
- International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
- Ministry of Communication and Information Technology
- Ministry of Education and Technical Education
- Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA)
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Date and Time:
28 September 2017:
* ITU-UNESCO High-level Symposium - Overcoming Divides and Achieving the SDGs: Supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities and vulnerable group. (9:00 – 13:00)
* Mitigating PWD Inclusion Challenges Using ICT (9:00 – 12:00)
* ITU/UNESCO Workshop on Organizing Accessible Meetings (14:00 – 17:00)
27 September 2017:
* ITU/UNESCO Web Accessibility Training (9:00 – 17:00)
Venue:
Al Waleed Hall, American University of Cairo, New Cairo
Media contact:
Paul Hector, Advisor for Communication & Information, UNESCO Regional Bureau for Sciences in the Arab States, UNESCO Cairo, email: p.hector@unesco.org
Webpage of event or link to Field Office:
Indonesia
Brief description:
In celebration of the 2017 International Day for Universal Access to Information, Kepios.com released a new report on the state of digital penetration in the Asia and Pacificregion. The new report showed that there is a healthy growth in digital connectivity in the region. According to the report, there is an eight percent increase in regional Internet penetration rate compared to previous year, to reach 47 percent in the region. This represents approximately 1.94 billion Internet users. Encouragingly, more than 140 million people came online for the first time in Asia Pacific region since 2016 with Indonesia alone accounting for 45 million of these new users.Social media users have also experienced a 17 percent increase to reach 40 percent penetration rate in the region representing 1.67 billion active users. Out of this number, the vast majority of social media users are accessing it via mobile devices. The report also highlighted a long observed trend of fewer self-identified female users on social media than self-identified male users. In some countries, female users constitute no more than 25% total users on social media platform Facebook. Nevertheless, the report noted that this could be due to some female users deliberately “mis-represent” their gender online to avoid gender-related harassment. The report further predicted that with the steadily falling costs of smartphones and mobile data, mobile connectivity will be within the reach of even more people in the coming year.
Partners:
- Kepios
Date and Time:
28 September 2017
Venue:
TBC
Media contact:
Ming Kuok-Lim, Advisor for Communication & Information, UNESCO Office in Jakarta, email: mk.lim@unesco.org
Jordan
Brief description:
Amman Office will celebrate 28 September 2017 by facilitating a TED-style discussion related to access to information and the implementation of the SDGs. The event will be organized in the context of the IPDC Talks that the International Programme for the Development of Communication is encouraging worldwide under the theme “Powering Sustainable Development with Access to Information”, as well as in the framework of the Regional ICT Accessibility Week in the Arab States that UNESCO is organizing with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to raise awareness on the critical role played by information in supporting holistic and sustainable national development.
Partners:
- Department of the National Library - Jordan
- JUST Library, the library of Jordan University of Science and Technology
Date and Time:
5 October 2017, 11:00 p.m.
Venue:
JUST Library, the library of Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
Media contact:
Ms. IkhlasAalKhawaldh (Arabic and English) Programme Officer, i.aal-khawaldh@uneso.org, Tel. +962 (0) 79 895 7615
Ms. Lidija Sabados (English) Associate Project Officer, i.sabados@unesco.org, Tel. +962 (0)79 890 4918
Webpage of event or link to Field Office:
Madagascar
Brief description:
UNESCO supports 14 Public Documentation and Information Centres within the framework of the Peacebuilding Fund project on strengthening citizens’ confidence in public institutions. The 14 institutions play a critical role in providing citizens with access to information as a fundamental element supporting development. During the 2017 International Day on Universal Access to Information, UNESCO will host an open day for Public Documentation and Information Centres in Madagascar. The objective of the one-day event will be to advocate for institutions to adhere to the Access to Information Charter developed by the Committee for the Safeguarding of Integrity and also in developing a law on Access to Information to enable the government institutions to be active partners in promoting transparency and restoring citizens' confidence in the public sector.
Partners:
- Madagascar National Commission to UNESCO
- Agence Nationale d'Information Antananarivo MADAGASCAR
- Mediature de la République, Service de la documentation
- Senat, Service CDI
- Assemblée Nationale
- Ministère de la Justice, Centre de documentation
- Ministère de la Défense Nationale, Service de Documentation et Archives
- Ministère de l’Economie et du Plan, Service de Documentation et de la Communication
- Secrétariat d’Etat à la Gendarmerie
- Ministère de l’Environnement, de l’Ecologie et des Forets, Unité de documentation environnementale
- Ministère des Mines et du Pétrole, bibliothèque
- Ministère des ressources halieutiques et de la pêche, Centre de documentation
- Bureau Independent Anti-corruption, Centre de documentation
- Comité pour la Sauvegarde de l’Intégrité
- Ministère de l’Intérieur et de la Décentralisation
Date and Time:
28 September 2017, 09:00 - 17:00
Venue:
Bibliothèque Nationale, Antananarivo, Madagascar
Media contact:
Jaco DuToit, Communication and Information Adviser, j.dutoit@unesco.org, Tel.: +254728610912,
Mongolia
Brief description:
The Conference will reinforce dialogues, cooperation and networking among Asian countries on issues regarding the access to information and its connection to the 2030 Agenda. It is expected to bring together over 70 participants from more than 10 Asian countries. The conference will include an “IPDCtalks” event, highlighting and elaborating on the importance of Access to Information for all sustainable development efforts in Mongolia; and an experience-sharing session with best practices and challenges in the region shared and discussed. All presentations will be filmed and disseminated through social media channels and other media outlets in Mongolia.
Partners:
- Mongolian National Commission for UNESCO
- Globe International Center NGO
- Open Society Forum
Date and Time:
28 September 2017
Venue:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia
Media contact:
Ms. Qingyi ZENG,National Professional Office, Communication and Information Sector, q.zeng@unesco.org, Tel.: +8610 65322828 ext.181
Palestine
Brief description:
The event will highlight and elaborate on the importance of Access to Information for the sustainable development efforts in Ramallah. The celebration will also draw attention to the information needs of young people and persons with disabilities and highlight the role that information and communication technologies (ICT) can play in overcoming various information challenges and societal barriers young people and persons with disabilities face.
It will consist of a group of attractive and dynamic talks from national leaders, top journalists, and young intellectuals. The speakers will elaborate on the key role of Access to Information for the achievement of a particular Sustainable Development Goal, others will reflect on the essential role of Access to Information for our society and future.
Partner:
- TBC
Date and Time:
28 September 2017, 11:00 a.m
Venue:
Ramallah Municipality Theatre
Media contact:
Ms. Hala Tannous, Executive Assistant Focal Point Communication and Information, h.tannous@unesco.org, Tel.: +972-592150322
Webpage of event or link to Field Office:
South Africa
Brief description:
The IPDCtalks event will be organized on 28th September 2017 as a joint event to commemorate the IDUAI, in collaboration with the South African National Commission for UNESCO, CIPESA, APC, the South African National IFAP Committee, The African Centre of Excellence in Information Ethics (ACEIE) based at the University of Pretoria, Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) and other regional/national media organizations.
Partners:
- South African National Commission for UNESCO
- Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)
- Association of Progressive Communication (APC)
-South African National IFAP Committee
-The African Centre of Excellence in Information Ethics (ACEIE) based at the University of Pretoria
- Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI)
Date and Time:
28 September 2017, 10:00 - 17:00
Venue:
Joannesburg, South Africa
Media contact:
Hezekiel Dlamini/ Adviser for Communication and Information in Southern Africa, h.dlamini@unesco.org, Tel: +263 772125550-1
Webpage of event or link to Field Office:
South Sudan
Brief description:
This year South Sudan will commemorate the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI)”. Organised by the South Sudan Information Commission in collaboration with the South Sudanese Network for Democracy and Elections (SSuNDE) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the purpose of this celebration is to increase awareness on the International Day for Universal Access to Information, to popularize South Sudan’s Access to Information Act, 2013 and enhance shared understanding of citizen’s rights to access information.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Access to information is a tool to make citizens active agents of their own development.” This celebration will involve a one-day training workshop for Public Information Officers from different government ministries as well as a presentation and panel discussion on “South Sudan – Opportunities to Promote Rights of Access to Information” by different stakeholders.
Partners:
- UNESCO Juba office
- South Sudan Information Commission
- South Sudanese Network for Democracy and Elections (SSuNDE)
- South Sudan National Editors Forum
- UNMISS Human Rights Division
- UNMISS Public Information Office
- Office of the Vice President
- South Sudan Human Rights Commission
Date and Time:
27-28 September 2017
Venue:
Nile Fortune Hotel, Tonping, Juba, South Sudan
Media contact:
Ms. Mwatile Ndinoshiho, Communication and Information Specialist, n.mwatile@unesco.org, Tel.:+211 922 00563
Mr. Mr. Rajab Mohandis, Executive Director, South Sudanese Network for Democracy and Elections, rajabmohandis@gmail.com, Tel : + 211 954 090 609
Mr. Nicodemus Bior Ajak, Information Commissioner, South Sudan Information Commissioner, biorkom@gmail.com, Tel: 211 954 82005
Webpage of event or link to Field Office:
Tunisia
Brief description:
The event will bring together the newly elected members of the access to information Board and around 250 representatives from government, civil society and media, including bloggers, young activists and technical and financial partners of defense of the right of access to information in Tunisia.
Partners:
- OHCHR
- Article 19
- le Syndicat national des journalistes tunisiens (SNJT) National Union of Tunisian Journalists
- Swiss Embassy (Donor)
Date and Time:
25 September 2017, 08:30 a.m.
Venue:
Hotel Carthago Palace, Gammarth, Tunis
Media contact:
Ikram Ben Sassi, Communication and Information sector, UNESCO Tunis Office, i.ben'sassi@unesco.org
Moussa Sawadogo, consultant, (International prese), elmous@yahoo.fr
Webpage of event or link to Field Office:
Vietnam
Brief description:
With assistance from UNESCO, Viet Nam has rolled out Open Educational Resources (OER) in Higher Education with activities, conferences to raise awareness, policy advocacy. UNESCO has also encouraged decision makers in governments and institutions to invest in the systematic production, adaptation and use of OER and to bring them into the mainstream of higher education in order to improve access to knowledge and information, the quality of curricula and teaching and to reduce learning costs.
Partners:
- University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ha Noi
- Thang Long University, Ha Noi
Date and Time:
28 September 2017, 8.30 am – 17.00
Venue:
TBC, Ha Noi, Viet Nam
Media contact:
Mr. Do Van Hung, Director, Center for Library and Information, University of Social Sciences and Humanity Ha Noi, dvhung@gmail.com, Tel.: 0967101977
Webpage of event or link to Field Office: