Summary

The report’s key recommendations include:

To International Organizations, especially the United Nations

• Begin the process of adopting rigorous access to information policies. At a minimum, organizations should identify and appoint Access to Information Focal Points who can coordinate the adoption process. I specifically encourage the UN Secretary General to appoint the director of the Department of Public Information to lead such an effort on an urgent basis.
• Develop a multi-stakeholder process to engage civil society, including the media, and Member States to identify the key elements of an access policy;
• Consult with those organizations that already have active access to information policies, such as UNEP and UNDP, to understand their processes and any lessons they may impart;
• Ensure that policies include the main elements identified above, in particular proactive, clear, searchable and secure disclosures; comprehensive policies with binding rules; clear rules about what information may be withheld; effective complaint and appeals mechanisms; strong implementation, review and monitoring systems; and independent whistleblowing protections.

For the political bodies of the UN, especially the General Assembly and Human Rights Council, and other IOs:

• Promote the adoption of access to information policies through resolutions and other governance mechanisms;
• Ensure the development of monitoring and oversight functions;
• Provide comprehensive information concerning organizational governance mechanisms, including election and selection or appointment processes, and broader and simpler accreditation of organizations to participate in and monitor organizational activities;
• Promote knowledge of access to information policies, including through clarity on websites and active dissemination and promotion of those policies to staff and stakeholders.

To Member States

• Encourage IOs to adopt access to information policies that meet the standards identified in this report;
• Participate actively in the development of policies that advance everyone’s right to freedom of information;
• Focus on ensuring the broadest possible access to information, only seeking to protect from disclosure State-generated information that could be withheld under international human rights law, in particular Article 19(3) of the ICCPR.

To Civil Society, Media and Members of the Public

• Engage directly, and seek a formal role, with IOs in the process of development of access to information policies, including by identifying for them the key areas of interest in information;
• Make requests for information from IOs as soon as possible, even before the development of access policies, in order to determine the way in which they currently handle such formal requests;
• Share information with other organizations and with the Special Rapporteur about the experience of engaging with IOs in the development of access policies.