The Administrative Control and Transparency Authority (ACTA) organized an introductory workshop on the law regulating the right to access information, to train public officials in the areas of integrity and transparency, thus contributing to the human development pillar of the Qatar National Vision 2030.
The two-day workshop targeted heads of directorates and departments or their representatives in government agencies, to educate and train members of entities to which this law applies, in the context of the state’s efforts to develop and modernize public sector institutions, in striving for a distinguished, efficient, and transparent public sector subject to accountability.
The workshop included a brief about the law on the right to access information, which includes 27 articles distributed over eight chapters, which include many provisions in matters related to regulating the right to access information, including procedures for requesting information, the deadline for submitting information, and cases of accepting or rejecting requests, related legal penalties which include fines and imprisonment.
Director of Legal Affairs Department at ACTA Mohammed bin Khalid Al Sada explained that the right to access information must be granted and applied by states, in accordance with relevant international agreements and covenants, including Articles 10 and 13 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
Al Sada indicated that the right to access information is an essential means to make it to the highest integrity and transparency indicators, and in keeping with global developments in this regard.
He added that according to this law, competent authorities in a country must provide information either through automatic publication or by fulfilling requests for information submitted by individuals or legal persons.
The Director of the Legal Affairs Department at ACTA stressed the essentiality of information access facilitation by concerned authorities, taking into account that information requester should not use the information for illegal purposes, distort the content of the information provided, offend others or harm the public interest, nor should they publish information except after obtaining permission from the concerned authority.
The law regulating the right to access information aims to maximum benefits from public services provided by various agencies, contribute to employment procedures, enhance concerned agencies’ performance transparency, improve economic participation, encourage economic investment, assist media outlets, combat rumors and misleading information, as well as facilitate academic research. (QNA)
Source: Qatar News Agency