Implementing the Right to Information (video)

Building on themes explored in the World Bank’s 2016 World Development Report Digital Dividends, this session will consider and debate the issues surrounding the growing threats to citizens’ rights to access public archives in the digital world, a world which has made access to and review of records a more complex and challenging issue. It will use a recent conference hosted by Northumbria University as its starting point. The conference provided a unique opportunity for to engage in a critical discussion between leading UK and international figures experienced in dealing with access issues at the most senior levels in government, academia and the records management and archives profession.

The high hopes internationally for using technology to support openness and transparency rest on assumptions about information integrity and accessibility. Many countries have yet to achieve either of these key enablers in the digital environment. There is much to learn from the achievements of three Nordic countries, Estonia, Finland, and Norway, which are at the leading edge of new technologies, openness, and information governance, as well as from the challenges that they continue to face.

This webinar disseminates knowledge undertaken by the World Bank Governance and Public Sector Management unit on the legal frameworks of right to information and accompanying implementation efforts in the public sector. It was funded in parts by the Bank Netherlands Partnership Program, the Governance Partnership Facility, and the Nordic Trust Fund on Human Rights.

An RTI system aims to increase the transparency of government by providing regular and reliable information to the public and facilitating appropriate and relevant use of that information. The adoption of laws establishing the right and access to information has been extremely active in the past two decades, with 53 such laws having been enacted in the previous fifteen years and over half of the laws adopted since 1996.

Implementation challenges, however, have presented a considerable obstacle in the successful institutionalization of government openness and access to information. Monitoring the practices of a right to information system can identify whether problems with implementation are rooted in a lack of political will, or the result of flawed internal arrangements and processes that are supporting a right to information system.

This webinar will discuss the findings of an in-depth comparative case study analysis of 12 countries that identifies key drivers of effectiveness in RTI system implementation. The analysis focuses on the formalization of agency practices for RTI implementation, including (1) staffing, training, resources, (2) information request processing, (3) records management, (4) proactive disclosure, and (5) performance monitoring. It also discusses the nature and strength of national monitoring and oversight systems, and the role of the enabling environment in supporting RTI implementation. The webinar will also present a preliminary set of indicators that can be used for rapid assessment of the functions and supporting practices that impact upon RTI performance.

Right to information (RTI) systems are practical components of government administration that reflect commitment to the principle of transparency. An RTI system aims to increase the transparency of government by providing regular and reliable information to the public and facilitating appropriate and relevant use of that information. However, disclosing information, maintaining accurate and thorough records, and sharing information with other agencies frequently constitute major challenges to an entrenched bureaucratic culture.

Performance monitoring of RTI systems involves the tracking of progress and an assessment of whether organizational objectives have been achieved. It is an ongoing process of collecting data on how well an RTI system is on track to meet its objectives, and it is extremely important for both real-time and end-of-year evaluations that feed into budgets, resource allocation, and investments in technology for improved processes. By collecting statistics and tracking implementation of the RTI law, agencies can determine how best to strengthen RTI systems. The data, if reported accurately and with useful metrics, have the potential to serve as one of the benchmarks for measuring the performance of a country’s RTI system over time.

This webinar will discuss the findings of a study on requests and appeals data published by central reporting bodies in eight countries: South Africa, the United States, Thailand, Jordan, India, Mexico, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. Overall, the unevenness of reporting in the countries included in the study suggests that a global discussion on RTI reporting could be worthwhile and enable more effective monitoring and implementations of RTI laws within countries, as well as facilitate the sharing of data on experiences between countries.