The right to seek, receive and impart information is an integral part of the right to freedom of expression.

Proclamation of 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information.

 The General Assembly, 

Recalling that the right to seek, receive and impart information is an integral part of the right to freedom of expression, as defined in article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights1 and article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Reaffirming the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Recalling resolution 57 adopted on 17 November 2015 by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at its thirty-eighth session, Stressing that freedom of information is also central in the context of the World Summit on the Information Society, which reaffirmed freedom of expression and universal access to information as cornerstones of inclusive knowledge societies, Stressing also the importance of full respect for the freedom of opinion and expression, including the right to seek, receive and impart information, and the fundamental importance of access to information and ideas through any media , and democratic participation,

Noting that in the declaration by the African Platform on Access to Information, adopted at the Pan-African Conference on Access to Information, organized by the Windhoek+20 Campaign on Access to Information in Africa in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the African Union Commission and the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Cape Town, South Africa, from 17 to 19 September 2011, the right to information was recognized as a human right and also as fundamental to development.

Recalling article 6 of the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 53/144 of 9 December 1998, Bearing in mind the efforts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to highlight the relevance and importance of the right to information in the Brisbane Declaration, adopted at the International Conference on Freedom of Information: the Right to Know, held in May 2010, Reaffirming the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, and the commitments made therein to, inter alia, promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, including by ensuring public access to information and protecting fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements, Considering that several civil society organizations and government bodies in the world have adopted and currently celebrate 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information, Taking note of the principles established in the declaration by the African Platform on Access to Information, and recognizing that these principles can play a crucial role in development, democracy, equality and the delivery of public services,

1. Proclaims 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information; 

2. Invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and individuals, to celebrate the International Day in a manner that each considers most appropriate, with the cost to be met exclusivel y from voluntary contributions.

 15th plenary meeting 15 October 2019.