Conference “Informed Citizen – Accountable Government”

Banja Luka, 26 September 2012 –

On the 28th September, the International Freedom of Information Day, Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway, is organizing the conference “Informed Citizen – Accountable Government.”

The right of free access to information has been regarded as one of the fundamental human rights in all democratic countries and is guaranteed by all relevant international documents prescribing fundamental human rights. Without free access to information responsible and democratic governance cannot be imagined, as well as the participation of citizens in decision-making processes. In the past ten years, BiH and the Western Balkans region have moved a long way in the implementation of the right of Access to Information. After the adoption of the legal framework and defining of legal mechanism for access to information, there have still been existing significant challenges in realizing this right.

In accordance, the conference will serve as an opportunity to summarize the current state when it comes to the application of the right of Access to Information and public participation in decision-making in the country and the region, and provide appropriate recommendations based on past experience of the state institutions, civil society organizations and the media.