Tashkent, 28 September 2022 (TDI): The UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) commemorated “International Day for the Universal Access to information 2022” in Tashkent, Uzbekistan today.
According to the United Nations organization, access to information is a basic human right, which improves transparent governance, helps protect our health, reduces inequalities & much more.
Access to information is a basic human right, which improves transparent governance, helps protect our health, reduces inequalities & much more.
More from @unesco on Wednesday’s #AccessToInfoDay: https://t.co/pBXG0PbfVM pic.twitter.com/9YOE4bKpU9
— United Nations (@UN) September 27, 2022
This day is annually commemorated on the 28th of September since UNESCO declared it in 2015.
74th session of UNGA then proclaimed this day in 2019.
Artificial Intelligence, E-governance, and Access to Information
The theme of this year’s commemorations is “Artificial intelligence (AI), e-governance, and access to information”.
The celebrations include a high-level opening, the international experts will join an inter-ministerial roundtable on Access to Information and Artificial Intelligence. This will be closely followed by several panel discussions.
UNESCO celebrates this day to discuss the benefits and risks of access to information and Artificial Intelligence. Stakeholders will discuss the steps to make it more secure, inclusive, and safely accessible to the entire globe.
Along with technological advancement, the citizen’s rights to access information, health, and education have also advanced. This advancement has created many loopholes for privacy breaches and other cybercrimes.
International Day for Universal Access to Information 2022 highlights the challenges and opportunities of digital governance and artificial intelligence. It will highlight the importance of access to information for the achievement of the 2030 SDGs.
The commemoration aims at the development of projects for strengthening open science and multilingualism. It focuses on introducing media and information literacy programs for the disabled and marginalized.
This day also erases the difference between the privileged and the non-privileged. It emphasizes access to information as a universal right. Digital technologies have seeped into every aspect of our lives and not having access to them can mean digital isolation.
UNESCO’s International Day for Universal Access to Information aims at creating harmony through opening digital forums for all. UN urges the world towards better access to e-governance initiatives for an inclusive future.
