Global Conference on Universal Access to Information 2025.

 

Hosted in Manila by UNESCO and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, this landmark event marks the 10th anniversary of the designation of 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information, reflecting a decade of progress and challenges in the right to access to information worldwide.


Global Conference on Universal Access to Information 2025.
29–30 September 2025.
Programme

28 SEPTEMBRE

19:00 – 21:00 Welcome Reception (Exclusive for International Delegates) 

28 SEPTEMBRE

8:30 - 09:00 | Registration 

09:00 – 09:30 | Opening Ceremony moderated by Ms Ida H. Pangan, Master of Ceremonies (Philippines) • Opening Remarks by Dave M. Gomez, Acting Secretary of the Presidential Communications Office • Keynote Speaker - H.E. Mr Nararya Soeprapto, ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General for Community and Corporate Affairs (Indonesia) • Video Message from Mr Aidan Eyakuze, CEO, Open Government Partnership (OGP) Cultural Performance: Video Trailer (2 minutes)

 09:30 – 11:00 | High-Level Panel | A Decade of the Paris Agreement: Evaluating the Right to Environmental Information for a Sustainable Future 

Description: The panel reflects on a decade of the Paris Agreement, focusing on how policies that guarantee access to environmental information strengthen regional cooperation, disaster preparedness, and climate action, advancing sustainable development and environmental justice. 

Moderator: Mr Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General (UNESCO)

11:00 – 11:30 | Coffee Break 

11:30 – 12:45 | Panel 1: Incorporating Access to Big Data into Access to Information Laws 

Description: This panel examines how legal frameworks can be adapted to incorporate big data, striking a balance between openness and privacy, as well as interoperability and ethical use. It is organised with the International Conference of Information Commissioners. 

Moderator: Ms Ana Lomtadze, CI Advisor, (UNESCO) 

Speakers: • Mr Ibrahim Shaw, Information Commissioner (Sierra Leone) • Ms Elizabeth Tydd, Information Commissioner, (Australia) • Mr Charles Dulo, Ombudsman, The Commission on Administrative Justice (Kenya) • Ms Ruth Abigail Sestoso, Undersecretary for Administration, Finance, GOCCs (Philippines) TBC Rapporteur: Ms Ingrid Mondet, Consultant, (UNESCO) CI/UAI 

12:45– 13:45 | Lunch Break 

13:45 – 15:00 | Panel 2: The Role of Intergovernmental Organisations and Regional Conventions in Promoting Access to Environmental Information

 Description: The two panels will discuss different international standards-setting instruments, such as the Escazú Agreement & the Aarhus Convention, OECD and UNESCAP policies and the ATI Model Law for Small Island Developing States, aimed at strengthening the right to information on the regional level.

A. Regional Frameworks in Action: Escazú, Aarhus, and Beyond.

Moderator: Mr Gilbert Sendugwa, Executive Director, African Freedom of Information Centre (Uganda) Speakers: • Ms Patricia Madrigal Cordero, Chair CSICEscazú Agreement (Costa Rica) • Ms Pansy Tlakula, Information and Privacy Commissioner (South Africa) • Ms Noriko Okubo, Co-leader of the Green Access Project, Osaka University (Japan) • Ms Marie Whelan, Policy Analyst, Innovative, Digital & Open Government Division (OECD) • Mr Manuel Castillo, Environmental Affairs Officer, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) 

Rapporteur: Ms Ma‘aly Hazzaz, CI Advisor (UNESCO) 

B. Small Islands, Big Challenges: Environmental Information for Climate Resilience.

Moderator: Mr. Ramon Tuazon, Secretary General, Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (Philippines) Speakers: • Ms Elizabeth Tydd, Information Commissioner (Australia) • Mr Ahmed Ahid Rasheed, Information Commissioner (Maldives) • Ms Josephine Joseph, Assistant AG, FSM Department of Justice (Micronesia) • Mr Toby Mendel, Executive Director, Centre for Law and Democracy (Canada) Rapporteur: Ms Rocelle Ago, Assistant Commissioner, RTI Commission (Australia)

15:00 – 16:00 | Panel 3: The UN System and Multilateral Coordination for Environmental Transparency.

 Description: The panel will examine how the UN system and the international community encourage the promotion of access to environmental information Moderator: Ms Maki Katsuno-Hayashikawa, Director and Representative, UNESCO Office for Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Timor-Leste and Liaison to ASEAN (UNESCO) Speakers: • Mr Arnaud Peral, UN Resident Coordinator in the Philippines (United Nations) • Mr Hao Zhang, UN Resident Coordinator in the Maldives (United Nations) • Mr Bakhodir Burkhanov, UN Resident Coordinator (Laos) TBC • H.E. Ms Saija Nurminen, Finnish Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines • Mr Dmytro Shlapachenko, UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan (United Nations) Rapporteur: Ms Ana Lomtadze, CI Advisor (UNESCO) 

16:00 – 16:15 | Coffee Break 

16:15 – 17:15 | Panel 4: (UNESCO) Initiatives for Information on Climate Change 

Description: A presentation of (UNESCO)’s new initiatives, such as the Global Initiative for Information onClimate Change and the Global Roadmap for Information as a Public Good in the Face of the Environmental Crisis, will discuss efforts to combat misinformation, promote the integrity of environmental information, and uphold information as a public good. 

Moderator: Ms Taria Turtia, Programme Specialist (UNESCO)

 Speakers: 

• H.E. Mr Raúl Fernandez Daza, Ambassador to France, Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Chile to UNESCO, Chair of the IPDC Council and Bureau (Chile) 

• H.E. Mr Gilberto Fonseca Guimarães de Moura, Ambassador of Brazil in the Philippines (Brazil) TBC • Ms Imelda Abano, Environmental journalist and a media trainer (Philippines) 

• Ms Heather Ford, Professor, University of Technology Sydney (Australia) 

• Ms Vieira Zevonia, Chair of the Timor-Leste Association of Journalists (Timor-Leste) 

19:00 – 22:00 Cultural Night and Dinner (Open for All)

30 SEPTEMBER

C. Modernising Legal Frameworks for the Digital Revolution in South & South East Asia

Moderator: Ms Ma‘aly Hazzaz, CI Advisor (UNESCO)

Speakers:

• Ms Kishali Pinto, Information Commissioner (Sri Lanka) 

• Mr Hanafi Ahmad, Executive Director, Indonesian Parliamentary Centre (Indonesia)

• Mr Ritwick Dutta, Managing Trustee, Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (India) 

• Ms Sara Hossain, Executive Director, Bangladesh Legal Aid Services Trust (Bangladesh) 

• Mr Kristian R. Ablan, Assistant Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry (Philippines) 

Rapporteur: Ms Nikka Mae Loreto, Project Coordinator (UNESCO)

9:00 – 9:15 | Opening Session moderated by Ms Ida H. Pangan, Master of Ceremonies (Philippines) 

• Keynote Speaker: Mr Ricardo C. Pérez Manrique, Judge, Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Urugway) - video 

9:15 – 9:45 | Fire Side Chat: (UNESCO)/CLD Global Information Request Initiative

 • Mr Guilherme Canela, Director, Division for Digital Inclusion Policies, Digital Transformation (UNESCO)

 • Mr Toby Mendel, Executive Director, Centre for Law and Democracy (Canada) 

9:45 – 10:45 | Panel 5: Open Government for Environmental Information: Building Trust through Transparency 

Description: The panel highlights how the Open Government Partnership is leveraging open data, transparency, and public participation on climate and environmental issues by showcasing concrete examples from OGP action plans and reform efforts. Organised with the Open Government Partnership Moderator: Ms Swati Mehta, Regional Lead for Asia and the Pacific, Open Government Partnership (India) Speakers: 

• Ms Cielo Magno, President, Bantay Kita/Publish What You Pay Philippines and OGP Steering Committee Co-Chair, (Philippines) 

• Mr Secretary Robert Borje, Executive Director, Philippines Climate Change Commission (Philippines) • Mr Raynaldo Sembiring, Executive Director, Indonesian Centre for Environmental Law (Indonesia) Rapporteur: Ms Nikka Mae Loreto, Project Coordinator (UNESCO) 

10:45 – 11:00 Coffee Break 

11:00 – 12:15 | Panel 6: Access to Environmental Information – Regional Perspectives 

Description: Two breakaway panels explore how cutting-edge digital technologies and big data analytics impact access to information and transparency in environmental issues. 

D. Digital Tools and Big Data for Environmental Transparency in Africa, organised with the African Alliance for Access to Data 

Moderator: Ms Dube Hlengiwe, Project Manager, Centre for Human Rights (South Africa) 

Speakers:

• Ms Pria Chetty, Executive Director of Research ICT Africa (South Africa) 

• Mr Stephen Moore, Founder and Director of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research Ghana (CAIRG) (Ghana) 

• Mr Izak Minnaar, Convenor of the Access to Information Committee of the National Editors Forum (South Africa) 

• Mr Amine El Mezouaghi, Director General, Digital Development Agency (Morocco) 

Raporteur: Ms Ingrid Mondet, Consultant (UNESCO)

F. The Role of Civil Society in Promoting Access to Environmental Information, organised with the Freedom of Information Advocates Network. 

Moderator: Mr Nepomuceno Malaluan, CoConvenor, Right to Know, Right Now (Philippines) Speakers: 

• Mr Alexander Kashumov, Executive Director, Access to Information Program (Bulgaria)

• Mr Bruno Schimitt Morassutti, Co-founder and Advocacy Director at Fiquem Sabendo (Brazil) 

• Ms Sarah Wesonga, Senior Program Manager, Article19 - Eastern Africa (Kenya) 

Rapporteur: Ms Ana Lomtadze, CI Advisor (UNESCO)

13:30 – 14:00 | Closing Session 

Closing remarks and Endorsement of the 2025 IDUAI Statement “Commitment to Agenda 2030 and Access to Environmental Information in the Asia-Pacific Region” by Mr Guilherme Canela, Director, Division for Digital Inclusion Policies and Digital Transformation and Mr Marius Lukosiunas, CI Advisor (UNESCO) 

14:00 – 15:00 Lunch

15:00 – 19:00 Cultural Tour (Exclusive for International Delegates, upon Host Country confirmation) 

Register