THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO INFORMATION

22 years ago, on September 28, 2002, representatives of non-governmental organizations from all over the world, including from Macedonia, lobbyists and defenders of the idea of ​​freedom of information, at a meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria, formed the Network of Defenders of Freedom in Information. At this meeting, the attendees agreed to cooperate in the promotion of the right to access to information and transparent management. Today this day is recognized by UNESCO and the UN as the International Day for Universal Access to Information, under the motto “I have the right to know”.

Therefore, on the occasion of September 28 — the International Day for Universal Access to Information, the Agency for the Protection of the Right to Free Access to Public Information, in cooperation with the International Republican Institute (IRI), organized the promotion of the new Guide for active transparency of political parties in the Republic of North Macedonia.

Plamenka Bojcheva, director of the Agency, and Ilina Mangova, regional adviser for Europe from the International Republican Institute (IRI), addressed the present representatives from the political parties, i.e. the officials for mediating public information, with their introductory speeches. Konstantin Bitrakov, MA, assistant at the Department of Administrative Law and Public Administration at the “Justinian First” Faculty of Law referred to the Guide and its most powerful point as an author of the publication.

The purpose of the Guide for Active Transparency is to help political parties as holders of information to improve their transparency and encourage them to publish as much information as possible of interest to citizens, which gives a complete picture of their actions and goals.

The publication also includes a comparative analysis of positive practices and how political parties in Germany and Estonia publish information about their operations and finances.