International Day of the Right of Universal Access to Information
By Martiza Gutiérrez
September 28 marks the International Day of the Right of Universal Access to Information, a day whose main purpose is to demand access to digital information as a means to guarantee other rights and to highlight some violations that occur in the world.
Although this official day was declared by UNESCO in its General Assembly in December 2015 and first celebrated in 2016, the truth is that its history begins much earlier, in 2002 to be exact. Back then, it was known as the International Right to Information Day. It was only in 2012 that Civil Society Advocates International changed the name to the one we know today.
Cuba celebrates this year with a new Law on Transparency and Access to Public Information, which for the first time provides the country with a regulation in this area, contributes to the fulfillment of the obligations of state bodies and other subjects responsible for providing public information, and gives continuity to the citizen guarantees provided for in the Constitution.
A law based on the constitutional provisions that establish the fundamental principles of the socialist rule of law, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements to which Cuba is a party, Sustainable Development Goal 16, and the economic and social policy guidelines of the Party and the Revolution.
The law establishes the principles of quality of public information, speed, free of charge, inclusiveness and non-discrimination, publicity and accountability. In connection with this celebration at the international level, it is announced that on October 1 and 2, the World Conference on Universal Access to Information 2024, organized by UNESCO and the Government of Ghana, will be held on the theme "Integrating Access to Information and Participation in the Public Sector".
The event serves as a platform to assess the progress made to promote access to information since the adoption of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
