Information Policy

World press freedom index 2014

The 2014 World Press Freedom Index spotlights the negative impact of conflicts on freedom of information and its protagonists. The ranking of some countries has also been affected by a tendency to interpret national security needs in an overly broad and abusive manner to the detriment of the right to inform and be informed. This trend constitutes a growing threat worldwide and is even endangering freedom of information in countries regarded as democracies. Finland tops the index for the fourth year running, closely followed by Netherlands and Norway, like last year. At the other end of the index, the last three positions are again held by Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea, three countries where freedom of information is non-existent. Despite occasional turbulence in the past year, these countries continue to be news and information black holes and living hells for the journalists who inhabit them. This year’s index covers 180 countries, one more than last year. The new entry, Belize, has been assigned an enviable position (29th). Cases of violence against journalists are rare in Belize but there were some problems: defamation suits involving demands for large amounts in damages, national security restrictions on implementation of the Freedom of Information Act and sometimes unfair management of broadcast frequencies. 

Link: http://rsf.org/index2014/en-index2014.php

Leaders Discuss Europe-only Comms Network

The show of support for the plan, which was initially floated by European telecoms giant Deutsche Telekom, follows the collapse of hopes in Germany that the U.S. might agree a no-spy agreement with the country. In a separate move, Germany is reportedly planning to step up its own surveillance of embassies belonging to the U.S. and the U.K.

Source: http://gigaom.com/2014/02/17/after-us-squashes-no-spy-hopes-european-leaders-discuss-ways-to-protect-citizens-data/

Korea to establish ICT commission

South Korea will create a special ICT commission to oversee policies on the information, communication, and technology sectors. The commission will be headed by the prime minister and will include 24 other officials from related government bodies, including the Korea Communications Commission, Yonhap reports. The government will also invest around KRW 8.5 trillion in innovative technologies, such as 5G mobile communications. Furthermore, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning will provide a fast-track certification process for ICT products.

Source: http://www.telecompaper.com/news/korea-to-establish-ict-commission--996359

World Bank approves funding for Myanmar e-government

By Medha Basu

The World Bank has approved funding to Myanmar to begin putting in place the foundation for e-government in the country, as part of a broader US$31.5 million project to reform Myanmar’s telecommunications sector.

2013 Annual Report of the Open Government Partnership (OGP)

The Open Government Partnership (OGP) continued to grow in 2013, but just as importantly took steps to strengthen institutionally in order to support meaningful open government reforms in participating countries.

To ensure accountability for results, OGP now has a fully operational Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM). In 2013, the IRM made huge strides in building a team, developing a research method, hiring and training local researchers, and producing the first round of progress reports for the founding 8 OGP countries

In terms of building the infrastructure to deliver, OGP significantly increased its online visibility and accessibility through the complete overhaul of our website. We were able to launch the new website approximately 2 weeks before the London Summit, complete with an interactive Summit sub-site that featured live-streaming of numerous sessions. By the end 2013, OGP was in a much better financial position, having secured financial contributions from 8 of the 9 government Steering Committee members, as well as from four private foundations. As a result, the Support Unit has been able to hire several additional staff people to fill key roles: a Program Manager for Direct Country Support, a Program Manager for Peer Exchange, and a Program Officer for Learning and Impact.

Link: http://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/attachments/OGPAnnualReport2013.pdf