On 27 September 2019, government officials, representatives of Civil Society organizations and private sector as well as media practionners met in a high level dialogue to discuss the role of access to information in good governance.

The dialogue held in Kigali was organized jointly by Rwanda Governance Board and the Office of the Ombudsman under the support of UNDP and European Union delegation to Rwanda.

The discussion held during the dialogue focused on the Law N° 04/2013 OF 08/02/2013 relating to access to information and its related Ministerial orders. Participants discussed about existing barriers to access to information and appropriate measures to address them.

Opening the dialogue, Mr, Musangwabatware Clement recalled participants that it is a duty of public servants, members of civil society and private sector to proactively disclose information as provided by the Law in order to foster transparency, accountability and citizen’s participation as key principles of good governance.

John Bosco Mayiga, who represented UNSECO regional Office at the dialogue insisted that access to information is very important for development and governance in this era of information super high way.

“In this digital era, information remains an integral part of daily lives of citizens. It is therefore important that the tools that are put in place by governments are fully functional and effective” said John Bosco Mayiga

Participants in the dialogue revealed that there are still challenges impeding access to information due to low level of awareness about the Law N° 04/2013 OF 08/02/2013. It was recommended to enhance awareness campaign about the law at different levels and through different channels to ensure that citizens, leaders and journalists have required knowledge about their respective rights and duties regarding access to information.

The high level dialogue on access to information was organized as part of joining the rest of the world to mark the International Day for Universal Access to information celebrated on 28^th September 2019 under the theme “leave no one behind”