Gender contributions to the draft Declaration on Access to Information

In August, Gender Links and partners hosted three seminars in three different countries namely Namibia, Tanzania and South Africa. The seminar discussions were based on the question “What has gender got to do with media freedom and access to information?” Participants included academics, media practitioners, students and media activists. The seminar in South Africa was quite exciting as it coincided with a meeting of the media experts who are crafting the Declaration on Access to Information (see the attached draft declaration below). Professor Guy Berger and Karen Mohan who are part of the experts attended the seminar which afforded some time to the discussion of the draft declaration.

Some of the issues that were raised in relation to the document are:
– Importance of problematising access to information in relation to women and men.
– Sourcing and providing sex-disaggregated data
– Repackaging information in a language that both women and men can understand.

The third draft of the declaration will soon be out and will be sent out through the Gender Links mailing list.
The final declaration will be adopted at the Pan African Conference on Access to Information to be held from 17 -19 September in Cape Town South Africa. Follow the African Platform on Access to Information on Twitter and help spread the word about everybody’s right to access information! Follow us on Twitter @windhoek_plus20.

Also you can join the facebook page on   and be part of the voice that advocates for the adoption of a continental policy document on Access to Information by the African Union.

Download : African Platform on Access to Information Draft September 2011