In this report, the UN Special Rapporteur on the protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression explored the scope of the right of access to information within international organizations, including those within the United Nations system.  

To address these questions, the Special Rapporteur presents the purposes underlying the right to freedom of information and the legal framework upon which the right is based. The Special Rapporteur subsequently identifies and evaluates the key elements of an access-to-information policy, before proposing concrete steps that international organizations should take to ensure openness and to establish policies and infrastructure that not only provide information of all kinds but also promote such requests. The report furthermore contains recommendations to Member States, civil society and media on how they can encourage and promote access to information in international organizations.