Afghanistan
Mid-October - the proposed Afghan IPDCtalks 2018 on the International Day for the Universal Access to Information would give the opportunity to an in-depth consideration of the SDGs with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Economy, civil society organisations and media, with a special focus on SDG 16 and highlighting the role of a full implementation of the Access to Information Law. It will be co-organised with Transparency Afghanistan.
Caribbean
To commemorate International Day of Universal Access to Information the UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean is conducting an awareness campaign in cooperation with local community radio stations, media houses, press associations, and through our key partners the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) and the Association of Caribbean Media Workers ACM. The theme of the campaign is “Good Laws and Practices for Open Societies: Powering Sustainable Development with Access to Information”.
Colombia and Latin America
UNESCO, the Attorney General of the Nation of Colombia, the Transparency Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic of Colombia, the Faculty of Law of Universidad de los Andes, with the co-sponsorship of the World Bank and the Nordic Trust Fund, and the support of the RTA and Article 19, 28 September 2018 are co-organizing the IPDCTalks2018 for the Latin American Region. The one day activity will highlight 3 main topics: 1) Challenges for the implementation of FOI Laws; 2) Access to Information, Memory and Truth; 3) Access to Information and Good Governance. More info (full agenda, speakers)
Cook Islands
The Elijah Communications will organize an event to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Universal Access to Information in the Pacific Rarotonga Cook Islands 28th September 2018. This awareness event will provide the opportunity for the people of the Cook Islands to be informed about the Cook Islands Official Act 2008. Local journalists are to organize a roundtable to discuss access information related issues with invited politicians.
Egypt
From 23 to 28 September, the UNESCO Cairo Office and ITU’s Region Office for Arab States will be organizing the first ITU-UNESCO Regional Digital Inclusion Week for Arab States. This Week is organized in the framework of UNESCO’s International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) and the implementation of the ITU Arab Regional Initiatives. This initiative has attracted the interest and support of a range of governmental, intergovernmental, private sector and civil society partners. Ten activities associated to the Week have been planned:
- An opening of Digital Inclusion Week and Digital Inclusion Tech-Talks, 24 September 2018, Cairo, Egypt (UNESCO)
- HerStory: Women’s Digital Inclusion Wikipedia Edithathon, 24 September 2018, Cairo, Egypt (UNWomen, ITU and UNESCO)
- Academic Digital Inclusion in the Least Developed Countries in MENA, 24-25 September 2018, Cairo, Egypt (Arabic Digital Reform Institute)
- Digital Inclusion Innovation Boot Camp, 23-26 September 2018, Cairo, Egypt (UNDP, ITU and UNESCO)
- Digital Inclusion for Women, 25 September 2018, Cairo, Egypt (Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT); Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre (TIEC); ITU and UNESCO)
- Second International Conference on Smart Learning, 25-26 September 2018, Cairo, Egypt (Human and Technology Development Foundation)
Gambia
28 September, Banjul - The IPDCtalks Gambia themes Access to information and the potential for The Gambia’s development. Local actors from various industries- private, public, media/journalists, celebrities and educational- are targeted to showcase concrete examples of innovative and creative initiatives that foster public access to information and thereby facilitate engagement and progress towards country-relevant Sustainable Development Goals. In additiion to these participants, an effort is driven to engage the next generation of decision-makers. To this end, prior to the event, a student video contest will be launched through which students will be asked to suggest (by submission of a 3 minute long video) original ideas and initiatives in relation to the theme and how it can be applied to The Gambia in particular.
Kazakhstan
From 27 to 28 September 2018 UNESCO Almaty is organizing a meeting in Dushanbe for journalism universities and training centers of the Republic of Tajikistan.
The meeting is devoted to the 28 September 2018 - International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI). IDUAI has particular relevance for the new 2030 Development Agenda, and in particular with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 16.10 which calls for ensuring public access to information and protection of fundamental freedoms. More details are available on UNESCO Almaty website.
Jordan
27 September - In order to build on what has been already achieved in terms of raising awareness of the right and the Law; the UNESCO Amman Office will celebrate IDUAI, 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 -draft- theme “Operationalizing Access to Information - moving from law to practice”, 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.
On the occasion of the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), the UNESCO Amman Office will celebrate this important day by facilitating a TED-style discussion related to access to information and the implementation of the SDGs. The event will take place on 30 September 2018, starting at 5 pm, and will be held at the Yarmouk University, in Irbid.
The event will consist of a group of attractive and dynamic TED-style Talks from national leaders, top journalists, and young intellectuals. Some of the speakers will elaborate on the key role that Access to Information plays for the achievement of particular sustainable development goals, others will reflect on the essential role of Access to Information in our society and future.
The event will be attended by Yarmouk university students and academics, as well as representatives of youth and sustainable development related organizations. In addition to UN representatives, embassies representatives, Government representatives, selected youth stakeholders, and media.
Lebanon
UNESCO Beirut Office is to commemorate IDUAI organizing together with the Media Association for Peace a panel discussion titled “Data Journalism for Peace Journalism”. Young journalists, researchers, civil society activists and media professionals are invited to participant and exchange ideas about data journalism and its linkage to peace journalism as well as access to information legislation and practice as a potential enabler for both.
Madagascar
The Ministry of Communication and Relations with Institutions (MCRI) of Madagascar organizes a week of activities to mark the day of 28 September 2018 in Manakara, in the south-east of the island. It is planned to organize a national consultation meeting on the access to information bill, an exhibition and a series of conference debates on themes related to access to information.
Malaysia
24 September 2018 - the IPDC Talks is taking centre-stage in Malaysia with the collaboration of Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development and Radio Televisyen Malaysia. The aim of IPDC Talks 2018@Kuala Lumpur is to raise public awareness and knowledge on importance of access to information. Six Malaysian and international experts will be providing their expertise during the event from the perspective of national authorities, academia, and civil society. The speakers are H.E. Steven Sim Chee Keong, Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, Ms. Kishali Pinto Jayawardena, Commissioner of Sri Lanka’s Right to Information Commission, Dr. Azmi Sharom, Faculty of Law, University of Malaya, Mr. Amos Toh, Legal Advisor to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Ms. Barbora Bukovska, Senior Director for Law and Policy, Article19.org, and Ms. Cynthia Gabriel, Founder, Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism.
Mexico
15 October - Mexico City - organized by Ciudad University, GAMAG and UNAM, The IPDCtalks in Mexico will focus on access to information and gender equality in the context of the SDGs.
Mongolia
25 September - IPDCtalks Mongolia 2018 focused on access to public information, open information and government transparency as well as the role of media in all these. The event is organized by Mongolian NATCOM, Globe International Center and Open Society Forum, Mongolia with support of Deutsche Welle Akademie.
Namibia
The regional IPDCtalks event will be held in Windhoek, Namibia on the 28th of September 2018 to mark UNESCO’s commemoration of the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI). This year’s event aims to promote the role of a free, pluralistic and independent media, ICTs and the right to information, as key contributors to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The IPDC Talks is to provide a platform for different societal actors – policymakers, journalists, NGOs, private enterprises and international organizations – to promote and showcase concrete examples of innovative and creative Access to Information-initiatives that foster public access to information and thereby facilitate engagement and progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 5 on Gender Equality.
Pakistan
27 September - the UNESCO Islamabad office organized the IPDCtalks Pakistan, focusing on the KP provincial law, highly regarded for its alignment with international standards and KP has a functioning Information Commission.
Palestine
UNESCO Ramallah Office in cooperation with Wattan TV network are holding a public awareness campaign on right to information law, followed by a TEDx style event on 2nd October 2018 in Ramallah, at Birzeit University. Event is hosting five speakers to present on the topic, followed by an open discussion with audience comprised of journalists, academia and civil society representatives.
Qatar
UNESCO Cluster Office for the Gulf States and Yemen is organizing in partnership with SASOL and Qatar National Library an event under the title “Bridging gaps, enabling inclusion for the blinds” on 15 October 2018 to mark the International Day for Universal Access to Information and as part of UNESCO-ITU Digital Inclusion Week in the Arab region. The event will see the launch of SASOL-UNESCO awareness raising video campaign on the situation of blind people in Qatar and a series of TEDx format presentations from key individuals and organizations in Qatar using the power of technology to enhance access to information and improve the lives of people with visual impairment, from audio-description for films in cinemas, braille keyboards and printers and mobile apps identifying accessible locations in the country.
South Africa
The Commission for Gender Equality of SA as lead coordinator and the UNESCO CI Sector is organizing a national IPDCtalks 28 September 2018 in Johannesburg. The event is organized under the theme titled “Can cultural systems become an enabler for access to information for Women?”.
South Soudan
The South Sudan Information Commission is to conduct a number of activities aimed to raise awareness regarding RTI, highlighting the importance of access to information and inviting the public to listen to panel discussions on The related topics on Radio Miraya and Eye Radio.
Sudan
A number of activities will be organized the UNESCO Cairo Office and ITU’s Region Office for Arab States in Sudan to commemorate IDUAI and discuss access to information related agenda:
- Sudan ICT Accessibility Policy National Workshop, 26 September 2018, Khartoum, Sudan (ITU)
- High-Level Forum on Digital Inclusion and the closing of Digital Inclusion Week, Khartoum-Sudan, 27 September 2018 (ITU and UNESCO)
- Sudan Smart Learning Policy Review, 18-25 September 2018, Khartoum Sudan (ITU and UNESCO)
Thailand
On the occasion of the International Day for Universal Access to Information #AccessToInfoDay on 28 September 2018, UNESCO is launching a collaborative exhibition at the Thailand Creative Design Center (TCDC) on the concept of Internet Universality. In line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, in particular the Goal 16, the exhibition aims at raising public awareness on the importance of Internet that works for all and is based on human rights (R), openness (O), accessibility (A) and multi-stakeholder participation (M) – known as the ROAM principles. The event will start with a round table discussion with experts, artists and culture professionals to explore the status of artistic freedom in Thailand and possible measures to promote the artistic freedom including their mobility, economic and social rights. It is also to call for ensuring public access to information and protection of fundamental freedoms.