The President of the Transparency Council José Luis Rodríguez Álvarez, and the Head of the Support Unit, Isabel Lombardero Lasarte, participated in the work of the 15th Edition of the International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC), held in Albania between June 3 and 5.

Entitled “Empowering People through the Right of Access to Information: Ensuring Transparency and Inclusion in an Interconnected World”, the annual conference brought together representatives of councils, commissioners and authorities defending the right to public information from around the world, as well as a large representation of civil society organizations.

On the final day of the meeting, the members of the ICIC adopted a Joint statement entitled “Transparency and the digital age: the role of the information commissioner and citizen empowerment”in which they undertake nine commitments to promote and guarantee transparency and the right of access to public information:

1. Promote transparency and bet on laws and policies of access to information that promote public transparency, improve services, reduce asymmetries and encourage citizen participation.
2. To help ensure accountability by overseeing compliance with the right of access laws and investigating complaints of denial of information or poor management of the right.
3. Make efforts to empower civil society organizations and the media to become actively involved in promoting the right of access to information.
4. Promote innovation by recognizing the potential of digital technology to strengthen transparency, from respect to the right to privacy and with the application of ethical standards.
5. Raise awareness through campaigns of citizens about their right of access to public information, the crucial role of this right in democratic governance and the importance of transparency and accountability.
6. Involve the agents who are committed to joint cooperation efforts, such as the ICIC, for the exchange of good practices, training and the promotion of the right of access to information on a global scale.
7. Urge UN agencies and multilateral organizations to integrate the right of access into their agendas when working with governments as one of the greatest tools for accountability.
8. Urge UNESCO to organize a meeting of all governments, including commissioners and transparency authorities, to achieve a universal commitment to the right of access to public information.
9. Promote transparency from the design to facilitate and expedite the exercise of the right of access by any sector of the population, taking into account transparency from the first phases of the design of any administrative system or process and integrating it into its day-to-day operation.

About ICIC

La International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC) It is a global meeting and collaboration forum that connects councils and bodies that guarantee the right to public information, with the aim of promoting this right as a fundamental pillar in democratic governments. Currently composed of 88 authorities defending the right of access to information from 57 countries around the world, the mission of the ICIC is to share knowledge and good practices, identify in what aspects work should be done to achieve global progress towards transparency and act as a collective voice in international forums to improve the right of citizens to public information.

The first International Conference of Information Commissioners took place in 2003 and has met regularly since then.

The Transparency and Good Governance Council has been a member of the ICIC since 2019.