Draft ITU information disclosure policy

KEY POINTS

Objectives of the draft ITU policy

• Improve public access to ITU information to contribute to a better awareness and understanding of ITU’s activities.

• Facilitate transparency and accountability of ITU’s activities.

• Respect ITU specificities and the benefits of ITU membership.

Reflects concepts agreed during the first meeting of the dedicated group

• NO default position– neither the position that all information is open

subject to specific exceptions – nor that all information is closed with exceptions

for opening some types of information

Focus on what is publicly available

• Provides a “positive list” of the types of information for which there is agreement on public access– Clear, unambiguous list– Serves as a guide to the types of information held

by ITU for those who do not know the organization well

Information covered by the draft policy *

• Information related to the governance and management of the Union

• Information related to the internal management of the Union

• Information related to the business (operational activities) of the Union

* Annex 1 of the draft policy, which lists the types of information that could be publicly available, will be updated after the Group’s discussions

Exceptions to access

• Provides a list of standard and clearly-defined exceptions to access– Exceptions apply to information that normally

should be publicly available (that is, information appearing in Annex 1 of the draft policy)

• Exceptions are based solely on content– Precise and easy to apply

Role of the author

• The originator (author) of information submitted to ITU is solely responsible for determining whether the exceptions to public access defined in the policy apply to the information– If any exception(s) apply, the originator marks the

information/document for restricted access

Implementation

• Procedures for implementing the policy will be established by the ITU Secretary-General– Method(s) of access, including procedures for

requesting information– Cost of access– Contact points

A living document

• Once approved and implemented, the policy could be reviewed regularly, based on:– Lessons learned from experience– New types of information created or held by ITU

as a result of new activities or other changes in ITU work

– Changes in societal expectations regarding access and confidentiality