Faces of Open Government: Laura Neuman

Meet Laura Neuman, Senior Advisor, Office of the Vice President of Peace Programs and member of the OGP Civil Society Steering CommitteeThe Steering Committee is OGP’s executive decision-making body. Its role is to develop, promote and safeguard OGP’s values, principles and interests; establish OGP’s core ideas, policies, and ru.... Laura has dedicated her career to advancing the right to informationThe legal right to request information from the government allows the public to follow government decision-making, participate in ensuring better decisions, and hold the government accountable. Techni..., fostering transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More, and empowering marginalized communities worldwide.

In commemoration of Universal Access to Information Day, Laura shares how the implementation of Right to Information (RTI) laws has tangibly impacted government accountability and helped create more inclusive societies.

How have you seen the implementation of Right to Information (RTI) laws tangibly impact government accountability and effectiveness? Can you provide examples from your work where RTI has led to significant changes/outcomes?

In fully implementing access to information laws, governments can become more efficient and effective. It supports a better records-management system, it can help identify where there are bottlenecks in administration, and with better and more timely information we see better decision-making, resulting in greater trust. For example, through our access to information work with law enforcement agencies in Liberia, where we supported greater proactive disclosure and the establishment of a commendations and complaint system, we were able to see a quantifiable increase in citizen trust. In Mali, we worked with pilot agencies and municipalities to implement their openness regime.  One municipality, the Cercle de Kati, used this as an opportunity to organize their land records resulting in a significantly diminished number of days needed to respond to requests and an increase in the public servants job satisfaction. 

Perhaps most importantly, when information is reaching people, we can see changes in their lives.  For instance, in Bangladesh, the Carter Center’s local partners used the right to information to help a woman access disability benefits for her son. While these essential services were always there, without the information they had been unattainable for her and her family.

The Open Gov Guide’s Right to Information chapter highlights the importance of governments proactively publishing information. Based on your experience, what are the key elements that make these efforts successful in enhancing transparency and democracy?

Proactive disclosure is a great way for governments to share information with less cost and less burden. If governments get into the habit of automatically making as much information available as possible, they can reduce the time and human resource intensive task of responding to many individual requesters.  However, it is important that the proactively disclosed information is accessible, comprehensible, available in ways that make it usable/actionable, timely, and accurate. 

What common challenges do countries face in enforcing Right to Information laws, and how can collaboration between civil society and government help address these challenges, especially through OGP Action Plans?

I believe that the right to information is a four-legged stool: passage of a good law, full and effective implementation, individuals and organizations making requests/use of the law, and strong enforcement. If any one of those legs is lacking, then the stool collapses.  In terms of enforcement, it is essential that there is an oversight body charged with reviewing requester’s appeals and holding the public administration accountable to the law.  Enforcement models vary across the world, but in the best cases, we see oversight bodies that are independent, expert, resourced, and with the power to both support public agencies in their access to information efforts and to compel them to fulfill their legal mandates. With their mandate to advance (and hopefully protect) freedom of information, transparency and accountability, Information Commissioners/Ombudsman should be at the OGP table. 

Notably, enforcement agencies cannot reach their ideal without civil society. It’s important that civil society organizations use the law – and help others to make requests –  and submit appeals when they are denied information or when the processes do not work.  And when independent enforcement agencies are under threat, civil society should be a good partner in raising awareness of their value and joining the struggle to maintain their strong, resourced, and independent positions.

You’ve developed tools and programs aimed at assessing and enhancing access to information.  What advice do you have for governments to improve their RTI administration practices?

Some years ago, I developed the access to information implementation assessment tool (IAT) and we have applied it in 17 countries and over 100 agencies. The IAT serves to assess the extent and – in some areas – the quality of a public agency’s implementation of the law. There were some areas of low hanging fruit that we thought would be helpful in improving RTI administration practice.  For example, appointing public information officers  in each agency responsible for working with requesters and assuring that information is being disclosed. Annual reports by agencies that are available to the public and include number of requests and their disposition, genderOGP participating governments are bringing gender perspectives to popular policy areas, ensuring diversity in participatory processes, and specifically targeting gender gaps in policies to address gov... disaggregated data, and qualitative details about the agency’s efforts to promote/advance the right to information are incredibly powerful for holding them accountable and for providing guidance on where additional assistance might be needed. Training should be made mandatory for every public servant so that they understand their responsibilities under the law and are capacitated to meet their duties. Finally, governments should focus on raising awareness within the agency and to the public at large about the right to information, its value, and how to exercise the right.

How does ensuring universal access to information empower marginalized groups?

Access to information is a fundamental right and supports the promotion, protection, and exercise of other rights, such as educationAccountability within the public education system is key to improving outcomes and attainment, and accountability is nearly impossible without transparent policies and opportunities for participation ..., a good environment, housing, to be free from violence, participation etc. But for too many people, the ability to exercise their right to information is limited. 

This is particularly true for women and other marginalized populations. Arguably those persons most in need of information are the least likely to get it. Illiteracy, lack of time and mobility, the double burden of income generation and caring for family, lack of awareness, and cultural norms all serve as obstacles to universal access to information. Following a number of studies that demonstrated the hypothesis that women are not able to exercise the right to information with the same frequency, ease, and rate of success as men, the Carter Center began programming to help change this paradigm.  

Most recently, I have developed and been leading the Inform Women, Transform Lives campaign which is presently working with 35 cities from around the world and representing a metro population of 215 million people. The campaign helps cities to reach women with information about critical municipal services, such as grants/loans and training for economic empowerment, health care, waste management, and services for survivors of gender-based violenceReforms that combat gender-based violence are essential for fostering an inclusive society and government that respects human rights and promotes gender equality. Technical specifications: Commitments.... These cities have recognized that in order for women and marginalized persons to have the same benefits from information and services, they must be intentional and innovative in their approaches, using creative communications strategies and partnerships with civil society organizations, influencers, and artists.  The impacts have been incredible!