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Map of Central America |
Email this citationCIAO DATE: 07/06
Access to Information: Jamaica: Building a Culture of Transparency
Carter Center
March 2005
Foreword
Jamaica's remarkable efforts to establish an access to information regime have made the country a leader in the region and the world. The Jamaican government and its people have met the challenges of passing, implementing, enforcing, and exercising the right to information and have succeeded in demonstrating the law’s value and its potential. In the past decade, fifty nations have passed access to information laws, bringing the total number of countries whose citizens now count on an enforceable right to information to almost seventy. With the many competing priorities facing governments and civil society organizations, it is truly significant that access to public information remains at the forefront of the global agenda.
The Carter Center began working in Jamaica in 1999 at a time when the draft access to information law was initially being discussed. For more than three years, the Center helped inform the debate regarding the value of access to information and shared relevant international experiences. In 2002, the law was passed with the aim to reinforce the fundamental principles of democracy.
The goals of the law are admirable, but unachievable without its full implementation and enforcement and frequent submission of requests. In recognition of this, The Carter Center remained engaged in Jamaica to support and encourage the work of all sectors, and we have witnessed many advances. In striving to give meaning to the new right to information, the Jamaican civil servants dedicated time and resources to renovating the record-keeping systems and receiving training, and civil society remained a partner with government in providing inputs, raising public awareness, and in making use of the law.
As the new access to information regime continues to mature in Jamaica, other obstacles inevitably will arise. However, with sustained attention and effort, I am confident that the transformation from a culture of secrecy to one of transparency will continue to deepen. I send my personal congratulations to all Jamaicans for your commitment to the benefits and ideals of the right to information.
- Jimmy Carter, Former President of the United States of America
