Access to information and independent media are essential to development

A joint statement from freedom of expression advocacy organisations.

Human development in the coming decades will depend on people’s access to information. Ground-breaking new media and technology are enabling major expansion of economic, social and political progress.

We believe that freedom of expression and access to independent media are essential to democratic and economic development. Freedom of speech and the media are means to advance human development and are ends in their own right.

We, the undersigned, therefore call on the Open Working Group to fully integrate the governance recommendations of the UN High Level Panel of Eminent Persons Report (A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economies through Sustainable Development) into the proposed Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, specifically in relation to its recommendations to:

Establish a specific goal to “ensure good governance and effective institutions”; and
Include as components of this goal a clause to “ensure people enjoy freedom of speech, association, peaceful protest and access to independent media and information” and to “guarantee the public’s right to information and access to government data”

Signed by:

ARTICLE 19, International
Global Forum for Media Development, Belgium/International
ABONG (Brazilian Association of NGOs)
Access Info Europe
Access to Information Programme, Bulgaria
Access-info Center, Moldova
Acción Ciudadana “Capitulo de Transparencia Internacional Guatemala”
Adevarul (Truth), Armenia
Adil Soz, Kazakhstan
Afghanistan Journalists Center
AFP Foundation, France
Africa Freedom of Information Centre
African Media Initiative, Kenya/International
Albanian Media Institute
Alliance of Independent Journalists, Indonesia
Alianza Regional por la Libre Expresión e Información, South America
AMARRIBO, Brazil
Arabic Media Internet Network, Palestine
Articulação Contra a Corrupção e a Impunidade, Brazil
Asociación Ambiente y Sociedad, Colombia
Association “For Sustainable Human Development”, Armenia
Asociación por los Derechos Civiles, Argentina
Association EPAS, Romania
Association of Caribbean Media Workers
Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), Serbia
Bahrain Center for Human Rights
Bahrain Transparency Society
Brazilian Association for Investigative Journalism (ABRAJI)
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Egypt
Cambodian Center for Human Rights
Campaign for Freedom of Information, UK
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Cartoonists Rights Network International
Center for Defending Freedom of Journalists, Jordan
Center for Effective Government, USA
Center for International Environmental Law, Canada
Center for Independent Journalism, Romania
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, Philippines
Center for Media Studies and Peace Building, Liberia
Centre for Independent Journalism, Malaysia
Centre for Law and Democracy, International
Centre Ibn Rochd, Morocco
Centro de Archivos y Acceso a la Información Pública, Uruguay
Centro de Iniciativas de Políticas Ambientales, Nicaragua
Centro de Reportes Informativos sobre Guatemala
Centro Ecuatoriano de Derecho Ambiental, Ecuador
Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental, Mexico
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
Comité por la Libre Expresión (C-Libre), Honduras
Committee to Protect Journalists, International
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, India
Comunicación y Educación Ambiental SC, Mexico
Comunicação e Direitos (ANDI), Brazil
Conselho Indigenista Missionário – Regional Norte / Indigenous Missionary Council – Northern Region, Brazil
Corruption Watch UK
Cultura Ecológica, Mexico
DATA Uruguay
Defensa de Niñas y Niños Internacional – DNI, Costa Rica
Derechos Digitales, Chile
Deutsche Welle Akademie, Germany
Electronic Frontier Foundation, USA
English PEN, UK
Espaço de Formação Assessoria e Documentação, Brazil
Espacio Público, Venezuela
European Endowment for Democracy
FEMNET (African Women’s Development & Communication Network)
FOJO: Media Institute, Linnaeus University, Sweden
Fondation Hirondelle, Switzerland
Foro de Periodismo Argentino (FOPEA), Argentina
Free Media Movement, Sri Lanka
Free Press Unlimited, Netherlands
Freedom Forum, Nepal
Freedom Foundation for Media Freedom Rights and Development, Yemen
Freedom House, USA
Freedom of Information Center of Armenia
Freedom of Information Foundation, Russia
Fundación Andina para la Observación y el Estudio de Medios (Fundamedios), Ecuador
Fundacion Construir, Bolivia
Fundación para el Desarrollo de la Libertad Ciudadana, Capítulo Panameño de Transparencia Internacional, Panama
Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa, Colombia
Gaspar Garcia Centre for Human Rights, Brazil
Global Human Rights Communications, India
Global Infancia, Paraguay
Global Integrity: Innovations for Transparency and Accountability, International
Global Movement for Budget Transparency, Accountability and Participation (BTAP), International
Globe International Center, Mongolia
GONG, Croatia
GPOPAI, Research Group on Public Policy for Access to Information, University of Sao Paulo
Greenhost, The Netherlands
Groupe d’Action de Paix et de Formation pour la Transformation, Central African Republic
Hibr, Jordan
Hong Kong Journalists Association, China
Human Rights Center, Azerbaijan
Human Rights First Rwanda Association
Human Rights Network for Journalists, Uganda
Human Security Alliance, Thailand
Iilab, UK
Independent Journalism Center, Moldova
Independent Media Center Kurdistan, Iraq
Index on Censorship, UK
Initiative for Freedom of Expression, Turkey
Institut du Gouvernance Numérique, Canada
Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, Indonesia
Institute for the Studies on Free Flow of Information, Indonesia
Instituto Prensa y Sociedad, Venezuela
Instituto Prensa y Sociedad, Peru
International Center for Journalists, USA
International Federation of Journalists – Asia Pacific
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
International Media Support, Denmark
International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development
International Press Institute, Austria
International Publishers Association
International Records Management
Internews Europe
Internews, International
Iraqi Journalists Rights Defense Association
Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate, Iraq
Lisbonreporter.com LokaalMondiaal, Netherlands
Lori TV, Armenia
Maharat Foundation, Lebanon
Media Foundation for West Africa
Media Industry Development Authority, Fiji
Media Initiatives Center, Armenia
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
Media Rights Agenda, Nigeria
Media Watch, Bangladesh
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, Australia
Mediacentar Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina
MediaLink, Indonesia
Medical Mission Sisters, USA
MICT Berlin, Germany
Mizzima News, Burma
Nancy Fashho, Individual
National Union of Somali Journalists
Obong Denis Udo-Inyang Foundation, Nigeria
Observatorio Latinoamericano para la Libertad de Expresión, Peru
Observatório Social de Belém, Brazil
ONG Ativa Buzios, Brazil
ONG Transparência Cachoeirense, Brazil
Open Data Forum Indonesia
Open Democracy Advice Centre, South Africa
Open Society Foundation, Serbia
Open The Government, USA
Ovdinfo.Org, Russia
Pacific Islands News Association
Pakistan Press Foundation, Pakistan
Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms
Panos Europe
PEN American Center
PEN Canada
PEN International
Privacy and Access Council of Canada / Conseil du Canada de l’Accès et la vie Privée
Privacy International
PRO MEDIA Skopje, Macedonia
Programa Transparencia para Tod@s, Mexico
Public Association Journalists, Kyrgyzstan
Publish What You Fund, International
RadioExpert.org, Czech Republic
Reporters Without Borders, France
Sawt el Hor, Egypt
School for Broadcast Media, Indonesia
SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom, Lebanon
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, Nigeria
Source Fabric, Czech Republic
South African History Archive, South Africa
Southeast Asian Press Alliance
Syrian Journalist Association
Syria Newsdesk
Teeba Press, Sudan
Terra-1530, Moldova
The Justice Project, India
The MediaWise Trust, UK
The Zimbabwean, Zimbabwe
Tifa Foundation, Indonesia
Trac FM, Uganda
Transparency International
Transparency International Bangladesh
Transparency International, Croatia
Transparency Morocco
Tunis Center for Press Freedom, Tunisia
United Journalists Center, Egypt
Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania
Uznet, Uzbekistan
Videre Est Credere, UK
Viva São João, Brazil
VOICE, Bangladesh
Vuselela-Media, South Africa
Walter Keim, Individual, Norway
Wesam Al-Haq
World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters
World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)
World Pulse, International
World Wide Web Foundation
Youth Association for Development, Pakistan
Zambezi Fox, South Africa
Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio Stations