International Day for Universal Access to Information
Recognizing the significance of access to information, the 74th UN General Assembly proclaimed 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) at the UN level in October 2019. The day had been proclaimed by the UNESCO General Conference in 2015, following the adoption of the 38 C/Resolution 57 declaring 28 September of every year as International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI).
UNESCO and its intergovernmental programs - the International Programme for Development of Communication and the Information for All Programme - provide a platform and frame for all the stakeholders to participate in international discussions on policy and guidelines in the area of access to information.
Global Conference on Universal Access to Information 2022
The theme of the Global Conference on Universal Access to Information 2022 was “Artificial Intelligence, e-Governance and Access to Information".
The global celebration took take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on the 28 of September 2022, and included a high-level opening, accompanied by an inter-ministerial roundtable on Access to Information and Artificial Intelligence with the participation of International experts. This event was an opportunity to discuss, in several panel discussions, Access to Information and Artificial Intelligence, covering both benefits and risks, against the backdrop of good governance principles.
VIDEO - The International Day for Universal Access to Information 2022, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
This year, the International Day for Universal Access to Information gathered more than 300 guests and 1180 online viewers worldwide around the theme "Artificial Intelligence, e-Governance and Access to Information".
With 8 years remaining to achieve the global goals, the event triggered the urge for joint actions and presented good examples to advance the right to access to information and tackle its side deficits plaguing global governance and public trust.
Watch the videos of the panels on this link and learn more on your right to know in the digital era.
IDUAI over time: Access to Information and its international recognition from 2016 to 2022
Equal and Universal Access to Information is essential to promote human rights and dignity, to eradicate poverty and to build inclusive knowledge societies.
The International Day for Universal Access to Information aims at spreading awareness concerning the need to expand laws related to information and their actual implementation. The expansion of these laws helps in building inclusive institutions access the world.
UNESCO declared on 17 November 2015 that the International Day for Universal Access to Information will be marked and celebrated on 28 September every year.
The 74th UN General Assembly proclaimed 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) at the UN level in October 2019.
Since 2016, the celebration of the International Day for Universal Access supported by UNESCO spanned from 20 to 26 countries, spreading awareness on our Right to Access Information.