The spread of transparency regimes across the globe in recent years has been phenomenal. Today, nearly a hundred countries have taken steps towards developing a transparency regime or are considering the idea of establishing one.
Nepal took a leap towards this goal by adopting its Right to Information Act in July 2007. In doing so, it became the third country in South Asia, after Pakistan (2002) and India (2005), to adopt such a law. It was, moreover, the first country in the region to have formal constitutional recognition of the right to information.
Despite these important achievements, however, implementation of the right to information in Nepal can at best be described as modest. Three years after the Act has been adopted, none of the actors usually associated with implementation of the right to information, whether from a demand or supply side – the government, public bodies, civil society, the oversight body, the media, the general public – is very actively engaged on this issue in Nepal.
To draw high level attention to issues affecting implementation of Nepal’s RTI law and to build broad consensus on practical measures to strengthen the RTI regime in contribution to improving governance and accountability, a national convention is being organized by The World Bank, in collaboration with Freedom Forum.
The “Nepal Right to Information Convention” is being held on 28-29 March, 2011 in Kathmandu. The convention will bring together over 150 practitioners, including senior Government of Nepal officials, members of the Constituent Assembly, and civil society leaders. Participants at the Convention will hold discussions on the role of the government in implementing the RTI law; constitutional and legal issues; the contribution from civil society, local governments and political parties to build coalitions for the RTI; and the role of the media in right to information and anti-corruption.
The implementation of the right to information in Nepal is taking place in a wider regional context, and discussions will be held at the Convention on the working of RTI Commissions in South Asia. Furthermore, nearly a dozen eminent RTI champions, scholars and practitioners from South Asia will serve as expert resource persons at the various sessions of the Convention. They include Wajahat Habibullah, former Chief Information Commissioner of India, Shailesh Gandhi, Information Commissioner, Central Information Commission, India, Muhammad Zamir, Chief Information Commissioner, Bangladesh; Mohammad Latheef, Human Rights Ambassador, the Maldives; Ahsan Iqbal, former Minister of Education, Pakistan; and Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Director, Centre for Policy Alternatives, Sri Lanka, among others.
For more information, contact:
Mr. Rajib Upadhya
rupadhya@worldbank.org |
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