International Day for Universal Access to Information

28 September

Recognizing the significance of access to information, the 74th UN General Assembly proclaimed 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) at the UN level in October 2019. The day had been proclaimed by the UNESCO General Conference in 2015, following the adoption of the 38 C/Resolution 57 declaring 28 September of every year as International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI).

IDUAI 2020 will be focus on to the right to information in times of crisis and on the advantages of having constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information to save lives, build trust and help the formulation of sustainable policies through and beyond the COVID-19 crisis.

UNESCO and its intergovernmental programs - the International Programme for Development of Communication and the Information for All Programme - provide a platform and frame for all the stakeholders to participate in international discussions on policy and guidelines in the area of access to information. Both programs also enable positive environment for ATI to flourish through the development of projects aimed to strengthen open science, multilingualism, ICTs for disabled and marginalized, and media and information literacy.

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR GENERAL

28 September marks the first celebration of the International Day for Universal Access to Information since its proclamation by the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, is of crucial importance.

— Audrey Azoulay, Director General, Message on the occasion of the International Day for Universal Access to Information

Download the complete message in PDF format

English - Français - Español - Русский - العربية - 中文

Key Events Commemorating International Day for Universal Access to Information 2020

To launch the 2020 International Day for Universal Access to Information and its themes, UNESCO will organize a high-level online panel, “Access to Information – Saving lives, Building Trust, Bringing Hope!,” set to take place online at 2:00 p.m. (CEST) on 28 September. The online panel will open with statements from the UNESCO representative; it will also include statements made by representatives of the Liberian and Uzbek governments on the importance of the day, as well as interventions from our UN partners, followed by Open Talks session.

International Conference postponed

In view of the current health measures in place, several events planned around the world will be held online.

An international conference is also being planned in Tashkent, with the support of the Government of Uzbekistan. Additional information on the dates of the international conference will be announced later this year.