Access to Public Information and Participation

Access to public information is an advocacy tool whose effectiveness directly affects the strength of spaces and opportunities for participation, in transparency and State accountability and in the ability of Civil Society to monitor public policies, giving meaning to the very exercise of citizenship. Parallel to this, citizen participation encourages durable and viable solutions by recognizing and communicating the needs and interests of all the actors involved, including those who make decisions together with those potentially affected by or interested in those decisions, in an open and interactive dialogue.

Sustainable environmental and social development is only possible when relying on an informed and active participation from local communities. At CEDHA, our activities in this area are directed at promoting greater and more effective participation from civil society. The Global Governance team focuses its efforts by participating in diverse political arenas of Civil Society, integrating coalitions and participating in local decision-making forums. We work to achieve the enjoyment of individual and collective rights to information and participation, understanding that this is imperative to conquer certain educational standards, for open access and availability of environmental information.

• Agendas/Activities:

In this regard, we urge that public institutions comply with their local and international obligations in the formulation of public policies. To help achieve these goals, we at CEDHA aid government departments in coordinating training and evaluation activities, advising them in the creation of both executive and legislative projects and in the planning of public policies. Similarly, in the field of empowering Civil Society, we work together in the creation of opportunities for training and reflection about the impact of these rights and the tools to exercise them, improving their ability for influence on the theme of access.