Unesco: Linee Guida per la diffusione dell'informazione pubblica

L'Unesco ha diffuso nei giorni scorsi delle Linee Guida che forniscono le indicazioni su come sviluppare e promuovere l'informazione governativa di pubblica utilità, con particolare attenzione alla sua diffusione digitale. Tale tipologia di informazione, che l'Unesco definisce 'bene pubblico', contribuisce secondo l'Organizzazione al raggiungimento di importanti obiettivi economici e sociali, quali:

• maggior trasparenza dei processi di governance e promozione della democrazia, perché in questo modo vi è meno spazio per misfatti e illegalità;
• rafforzamento del benessere sociale, perché i cittadini agiscono in modo più consapevole in merito alle scelte di vita e al loro futuro;
• progresso della ricerca, perché l'archiviazione e la registrazione dei dati sono fondamentali per il sviluppo scientifico e per il cammino dell'innovazione tecnologica.

L'informazione di pubblica utilità di natura governativa ha il suo valore aggiunto quando viene fatta circolare sulla rete; secondo l'Unesco, infatti, è questa la strada preferenziale perché essa sortisca i suoi benefici effetti al massimo grado, perché effettivamente diviene 'bene pubblico', immediatamente disponibile per semplificare la vita dei cittadini.

Nelle Linee Guida l'Unesco raccomanda allora agli Stati membri di sviluppare con celerità una strategia nazionale per disciplinare e ottimizzare la diffusione dell'informazione, che preveda come fasi principali la definizione del valore dato dalla disponibilità e accessibilità dell'informazione, la creazione di una legge nazionale per la libertà dell'informazione, l'istituzione di un Programma Quadro che comprenda , tra le altre cose, una struttura per la gestione dell'informazione pubblica.

UNESCO publishes guidelines for the dissemination of governmental information

eGovernment News – 22 June 2004 – Global – Policy/Strategy The United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recently published policy guidelines to advise its Member States on how to develop and promote governmental public domain information. The document encourages governments to play a leading role by defining the scope of available governmental public domain Information, adopting a national “Freedom of Information” law and implementing a comprehensive Policy Framework.

According to UNESCO, the role and value of public domain information produced by the public sector is generally poorly understood and not widely enough addressed. The purpose of the Policy Guidelines is thus to help develop and promote governmental public domain information with particular attention to the dissemination of such information in digital form.

The document defines governmental public domain information as “information of an intrinsically public nature” that is “produced by public authorities in the course of their duties” and that is “seen as a public good”. According to UNESCO, open and unrestricted dissemination of such information contributes to a number of key economic and social goals:

• More transparency of governance and promotion of democracy: governments are less likely to be able to hide illegal acts, corruption and misrule.
• Enhanced general social welfare: citizens are more able to make informed decisions about their daily life, their environment, and their future.
• Progress of research: factual databases, many of which are collected by government entities or with government funding, are fundamental to the progress of science, to the advancement of technological innovation, and to an effective educational system.

Stressing that much of the value of public domain information derives from its use by the public, and that positive effects of public domain information can be multiplied when such information is placed on global digital networks, the UNESCO Policy Guidelines say that governments need to develop a comprehensive national information policy. Establishing such a policy involves three main steps:

• Defining the scope of information to be made available: as a guiding principle, information produced by public sector entities should be presumed to be available to the public. Any formal exceptions preventing citizens from accessing public information should be specifically justified and formulated by national governments as narrowly as possible. In addition, all publicly funded inter-governmental organisations should provide open access to all their publications and public databases, especially to potential users in developing countries, free of charge.
• Adopting a national Freedom of Information (FOI) law: such a law should provide for access by citizens, on request, to the information held by the government that is not otherwise made routinely available.
• Developing a comprehensive Information Policy Framework, for the management and active dissemination of governmental information. The framework should create an appropriate public information management structure and define its policy requirements, as well as define strategies on information systems and IT management.

According to a UNESCO study published in January 2004, legislation ensuring right of access to information held by public bodies has flourished across the world in the last 10 years. Pointing out that the right to freedom of information, commonly understood as the right to access information held by public bodies, is now widely recognised as a fundamental human right, the study reported a global trend towards legal recognition of this right as countries around the world either have adopted FOI laws, or are in the process of adopting or amending relevant legislation. According to UNESCO, the number of FOI laws has more than doubled worldwide over the last ten years, partly due to the emergence of the Internet as a new dissemination and access channel.

© European Communities 2004
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

Further information:

• Press release by UNESCO
• Policy Guidelines for the Development and Promotion of Governmental Public Domain Information (UNESCO)
• UNESCO outlines principles of effective freedom of information legislation, article published by the eGovernment Observatory on 09 February 2004

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