For UNDP, the right to information is a key underpinning for work in democratic governance and is vitalfor promoting ‘open governance’ and the accountability of public decision makers as well as forstrengthening transparency, participation and the rule of law. In 2006, over 68 countries had comprehensive laws to facilitateaccess to state records and many more are in the process of enacting such legislation. However, in many States, including democracies, people are routinelydenied access to official information—information that should be in the public domain. The UNDP Oslo Governance Centre convened a seminar on the right to information to explore howUNDP can strengthen its support to promoting and protecting the right to information in countrieswhere UNDP is working. With links to Practical Guidance Notes on Right to Information Programming and Measuring the Impact of Right to InformationProgrammes and other resources.
