The Access to Information Bill is a progressive piece of legislation

Dear Editor,

Guyana’s Access to Information Bill 2011 sets out a practical regime securing the right of persons to access information under the control of public authorities. Guyana has astutely followed in the tradition of over 80 countries globally, which established a broader right of access to ‘information’ rather than merely ‘documents.’ At its core, the public policy and legislative purpose underlying this Bill is a desire to promote democratic principles: government accountability and transparency.

To briefly highlight the significance of such legislation, the IACHR notes that “the importance of an effective right of access to information has a solid basis in international and comparative human rights law…there is a growing consensus that governments do have positive obligations to provide state-held information to their citizens.” The OAS, UN and OSCE all agree that