On 12 November, representatives from a dozen NGOs met for a workshop in Yangon on the right to information (RTI) in Myanmar. The workshop, which was hosted by the Local Resource Centre and the Centre for Law and Democracy in collaboration with International Media Support, culminated in a joint Statement stressing the importance of RTI to Myanmar’s democratic transition and pledging to work collaboratively towards establishing and implementing an RTI law.
Click here to read the RTI Statement in English and Burmese
“The right to information is of fundamental importance to Myanmar’s democratic transition,” said Toby Mendel, Executive Director of CLD. “It is very encouraging that so many NGOs are engaging on this issue and we look forward to working with them to advance this worthy goal.”
“In this vital period, it is critical that Myanmar keeps moving forward towards better governance and human rights,” said Nyi Nyi Aung, Programme Director at Local Resource Centre. “We believe than an effective right to information is key to this.” .
“Myanmar’s government should be given credit for driving forward an ambitious media reform process, in which establishing an effective legal framework for transparency in the area of RTI would be a natural next step,” said Esben Harboe, Programme Manager for IMS’ work in Myanmar.
In addition to noting the many benefits of RTI, the Workshop Statement stresses that the advancement of this right must be achieved through collaborative efforts involving civil society, journalists and the government. To that end, the participants agreed to continue to work together to promote progress in this area.
For further information, please contact:
Michael Karanicolas
Legal Officer
Centre for Law and Democracy
michael@law-democracy.org
+1 902 448-5290
www.law-democracy.org
twitter: @law_democracy
Nyi Nyi Aung
Programme Director
Information and Communication
Local Resource Centre
info-co@lrcmyanmar.org
+95 09 540 2565
www.lrcmyanmar.org
Esben Q. Harboe
Programme Manager
International Media Support
eh@i-m-s.dk
+45 5210 7805
www.i-m-s.dk
