The Information for All Programme or IFAP is one of the two intergovernmental programmes of the UNESCO Communication and Information (CI) sector which was created in 2000. Through this programme, governments of the world have pledged to harness the new opportunities of the information age to create equitable societies through better access to information. It is a platform for international policy discussions and programme development in a world increasingly driven by digital technologies. Based on the programme’s medium term strategy for 2008-2013, its priority areas are as follows: (1) Information for development; (2) Information literacy; (3) Information preservation; (4) Information ethics; and (5) Information accessibility.
In the Philippines, an Information for All Programme National Committee, comprised of 10 members representing government, industry, private media, civil society and the academe, appointed by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Chairperson of the Philippine National Commission for UNESCO was organized in June 2007 and has since been active in pursuing country initiatives in policy development on the five areas based on UNESCO IFAP’s medium- term strategy for 2008-2013.
The National Committee has convened two national policy fora, i. e. Policy Forum on Right to Information and Forum on Writ of Habeas Data in 2007, which highlighted the Supreme Court’s promulgation of the writ of habeas data. Many of the IFAP officers are actively involved in the advocacy for the passage of a Freedom of Information Act. IFAP Executive Committee vice-chair Vincent Lazatin is co-convenor of the Access to Information Network (ATIN), a group of about 20 organizations that has been closely working with legislators and other stakeholders of information access for eight years now. Ramon R. Tuazon, IFAP Philippines Member, and Dr. Florangel Rosario-Braid, IFAP Philippines Adviser, are actively involved in ATIN’s persistent research and lobbying work for the passage of an FOI legal framework in the country.
Through the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC), IFAP Philippines completed the study, “Philippine Policies on Information Access and Transparency.” The research covered 182 policy documents from 29 national government agencies. The study will be published before the year-end. The Philippines hosted the Sub-Regional Forum on Information for All, “Creating a Responsive Infostructure,” last 19 and 20 March 2009. The forum, which is UNESCO’s first IFAP meeting for a sub-region, gathered participants from the ASEAN countries to discuss the highlights of the IFAP Strategic Plan and to review IFAP’s five priorities vis-à-vis their relevance in Southeast Asia. Participating countries without national IFAP committees have committed to organize their respective committees. Participants are now pursuing activities included in the action agenda adopted during the forum. |
