Information 4 Development

Access to information provides the human person with some kind of knowledge about his / her environment and empowers him/her to participate actively in the life of the society.

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Photo credit: Connected Development

Picture 1: Etta Michael Bisong and Chinwe Nwosu (with tablet) conducting an interview with Muhammed Tukur , spokesperson of Gutsura, a community in Zamfara State which was ravaged by flood in 2012. 

Picture 2: Follow the Money team engaging a community leader in Gummi , Zamfara on their #RelocateGutsura Project

Picture 3: Oludotun Babayemi and Hamzat Lawal engaging the community leader of Shikira on their #SaveShikira Project

Picture 4: Hamzat Lawal and Mamman Umar documenting the voice of the women of Shikira on their #SaveShikira Project

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In many developing countries access to information seems to be the prerogative of a handful of government officials and some private companies. Ordinary citizens are often ignorant of their rights and are even kept in the dark regarding the decisions, activities and development initiatives of the government. Open Development Initiative Cambodia (ODI) is an online open data platform which proffers solution to this problem. ODI is the brainchild of the East-West Management Institute and some Cambodian local and other international collaborators. Today it has networks in neighboring countries such as Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, China and Laos. In this audio-clip Chan Penhleak, Regional Network and Partnership Support Manager Open Development Cambodia, shows how access to information fosters public debate and dialogue, and contributes to sustainable development. For more information visit: http://www.opendevelopmentcambodia.net/ or    https://cambodia.opendevelopmentmekong.net

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Corrupt practices like bribery and misappropriation of public funds are obstacles to sustainable development. Connected Development (CODE) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 2012 in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. CODE promotes transparency and accountability which are the bedrock of any sustainable development initiative. CODE serves as a bridge that fills the information gap between the government and the citizens.

Oludotun Babayemi, co-founder of CODE, describes in this brief interview, how their young organization contributes to sustainable development in Nigeria through monitoring of how development funds are used and by fostering capacity and community building. For more information visit: http://connecteddevelopment.org/ 

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Picture 5: Chan Penhleak, Regional Network and Partnership Support Manager Open Development Cambodia.

Picture 6: Oludotun Babayemi, co-founder of Connected Development (CODE).

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Does access to information contribute to sustainable development?

Human life in society seems inconceivable without adequate information. This is based on the fact that humans are social beings endowed with the special ability to communicate. As a member of any given society, first of all you need to know your rights and responsibilities in other to realize your own goals as an individual and also contribute to the attainment of the goals of the community. Besides, you need information to know how to orientate yourself in your environment.  In addition, you need information to know what to do when there is an outbreak of disease or war. Furthermore, you need information to take important decisions in life. Access to information –either in written or oral form - provides the human person with some kind of knowledge about his / her environment and what the society expects of him/her.

 Considering the necessity of this basic human right, the United Nations Organization affirms in Article 19 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948): “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” Enshrined in this article are the rights of citizens to be informed and to share their ideas with others (freedom of speech) without hindrance. These two rights are the preconditions for the attainment of other rights. For example, if citizens of a given country are denied access to information and if they cannot express their views freely, how would they know about their other rights such as the right to good medical care, food, shelter, education?

 As a result the UN includes the right to information as one of the targets of the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To rid the contemporary society of its numerous divisive conflicts and wars, and foster peace in the society, which is necessary for sustainable development, SDG 16.10 attaches great importance to “public access to information and protection of fundamental freedoms.” These two elements facilitate development in any society.

 However, in most developing countries under authoritarian regimes citizens hardly know what the government does, nor how it spends its budget. Similarly, the government seems not to know exactly what its citizens need, especially the poor and marginalized, who are excluded from mainstream governance processes. In such countries there exists information gap. Corruption thrives in such an atmosphere.

 Two experts, who work as information intermediaries in two developing countries in Asia and Africa, give their views regarding how access to information contributes to sustainable development. Oludotun Babayemi is co-founder of Connected Development (CODE), an NGO that was founded in 2012 in Nigeria. While Chan Penhleak, is the Regional Network and Partnership Support Manager of Open Development Initiative (ODI), in Cambodia. Both agree that giving citizens access to information enables them to participate in the development and life of their society. More so, it makes the government to be transparent and accountable.