Freedom of Information: A Comparative Legal Survey

The right to freedom of information, commonly understood as the right to access information held by public bodies, is now widely recognized as a fundamental human right. There is a massive global trend towards legal recognition of this right as countries around the world that aspire to democracy either have adopted, or are in the process of preparing, freedom of information laws. This study begins with an overview of the international basis for the right to freedom of information. This overview considers both authoritative international statements, as well as relevant national developments, as evidence of global acceptance of this right. The next section describes the best practice standards to which freedom of information legislation should aspire.

Publisher: UNESCO
Year of Publication: 2003