“UNESCO works to protect and promote access to information as a fundamental human right and an essential step towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. As part of these efforts, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information – recognizing its role in development, democracy, and equality” said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO.

This day had been proclaimed by the UNESCO General Conference in 2015, following the adoption of the 38 C/Resolution 57 declaring 28 September of every year as International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI).

UNESCO and its intergovernmental programs – the International Programme for Development of Communication and the Information for All Programme – provide a platform and frame for all the stakeholders to participate in international discussions on policy and guidelines in the area of access to information, and this year the theme of the Global Conference on Universal Access to Information 2022 is “Artificial Intelligence, e-Governance, and Access to Information”.

The global celebration takes place today in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and will include a high-level opening, accompanied by an inter-ministerial roundtable on Access to Information and Artificial Intelligence with the participation of International experts. This event is an opportunity to discuss, in several panel discussions, Access to Information and Artificial Intelligence, covering both benefits and risks, against the backdrop of good governance principles.

It is available: here.