International Day for Universal Access to Information Celebrated

International Day for Universal Access to Information Celebrated

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has declared September 28 as the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) based on a resolution on 17 November 2015 that proclaims September 28 of every year as such. Now on its second year, the declaration is relevant in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies), which highlights the importance of public access to information and protection of fundamental freedoms. 

One of the main events in this year’s celebration was the “IPDCtalks: Powering Sustainable Development with Access to Information” that was held on 28 September 2017 at the UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France. It was a whole-day event consisting of a series of talks on Access to Information from global leaders, prominent journalists, young intellectuals, and community leaders. Another main event was “Overcoming Divides: Achieving the SDGs in Africa” conducted on 27-30 September 2017 at Baclava, Mauritius. During the activity, workshops and technical sessions were held on various topics such as InfoEthics, Open Access, and Knowledge and innovation strategies, among others.

Other countries that joined in the worldwide celebration were Brazil, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Madagascar, Mongolia, Palestine, South Africa, South Sudan, Tunisia, and Vietnam.

Source: UNESCO website

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