RTI Steering Committee begins public sector consultations

Right To Information (RTI) consultations with government ministries and departments have begun to help sensitize government officials on the RTI Act.

The consultations began Thursday afternoon following a meeting of the RTI Steering Committee members in the morning.

From the meeting, a RTI Unit team was chosen to start the consultation to get government officials to understand the requirement of the law.

The first consultations were scheduled for the Office of the Prime Minister and departments under the PMO early this week, but due to poor turnout the consultation was rescheduled.

On Thursday afternoon the consultations continued at the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries, and Biodiversity at the Independence Park in Port Vila.

Next week starting on February 28, the RTI consultations team will be at the Ministry of Education and will cover the Primary Education, Secondary and Tertiary Education, Scholarship and Exams Office.

After that the team will move on to other departments under the Ministry, and then other government ministries and departments.

All the statutory bodies and the provincial headquarters will follow with the hope of completing all the consultations by the end of November this year.

On November 24, 2016 the Vanuatu parliament unanimously passed the Bill tabled by Prime Minister Charlot Salwai on the Right to Information.

The Act will provide for the guarantee of the right to information of all persons in Vanuatu. The Media Association blong Vanuatu (MAV) described the RTI as “a ‘home-grown’ RTI – a major development and achievement not only for Vanuatu’s growing media industry but for the Vanuatu government also.”

In the lead up to the drafting of the Act, nationwide community consultations were conducted by Transparency International Vanuatu (TIV) to inform citizens of the Act and how it would impact society as a law. TIV spent a year hosting public forums about the RTI policy in communities and schools throughout the islands of Vanuatu, encouraging people to ask their MPs to vote for the Act.

The IFJ said: “The passing of the RTI Act in Vanuatu is a significant milestone in this country’s history.

“Public access to information is crucial for democracy. Enshrined in law, this will ensure that the Vanuatu media will be able to report more accurately and responsibly on government activities, and that the public will be better equipped to engage in democratic processes.”

Vanuatu joined 105 other countries across the world with Right to Information laws.