Posted on March 14, 2011
The Windhoek + 20 Campaign focuses on the issue of access to information across Africa.
The Windhoek + 20 Campaign includes news, events and resources and invites interested individuals and organisation to join the campaign.
About the Windhoek +20 Campaign
The Windhoek +20 Campaign is a continental initiative of African organisations lobbying for the adoption of an African Platform on Access to Information at the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO Windhoek Declaration on Press Freedom In Africa in September 2011. Set up in September 2009, in Windhoek Namibia, the campaign is a continental initiative of what is becoming an expansive and inclusive coalition seeking a new agenda on Access to Information in Africa.
Overall the Windhoek+20 campaign seeks to advocate the adoption of a continental policy document on Access to Information by the African Union and within the UNESCO Windhoek Declaration regime and policy framework.
The campaign compliments efforts of a growing movement in Africa seeking, lobbying and influencing the adoption of Access to Information laws across the continent based on international best practice and principles of;
1. Maximum Disclosure
2. Minimum Exemptions
3. Public Interest Override
4. Proactive Disclosure
5. Simple, Affordable and Quick Access Procedures
6. Protection of Whistle blowers and
7. Effective Enforcement
Why the Name Windhoek+20
The African Platform on Access to Information (APAI) campaign is based on an existing UNESCO regime of guiding documents on media freedom. One such key document is the internationally renowned Windhoek Declaration on Press Freedom, named as such because the conference that produced this Declaration was held in Windhoek, Namibia in 1991. It was passed by the UN General Assembly in 2002 and is legally referred to as the Windhoek Declaration.
Ten years later in 2001 a conference referred to as Windhoek +10 was again organised by UNESCO and brought to Windhoek to review the State of the media not only in Africa but around the world 10 years after the Windhoek Declaration.
2011 will mark 20 years after the Windhoek Declaration as such the UNESCO conference in 2011 will be known as windhoek+20, meaning 20 years after the Windhoek Declaration.
The campaign is run by a working group of seven media and human rights organisations from across Africa namely;
Africa Freedom of Information Centre, Uganda
Media Foundation for West Africa, Ghana
Open Democracy Advise Centre, South Africa
Media Rights Agenda, Nigeria
Highway Africa, South Africa
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) - Southern Africa
International Federation of Journalists, Africa Region, Senegal
MISA Regional Office based in Windheok, Namibia is the Secretariat and coordinating organisation for the Windhoek+20 Campaign.
For detailed information on the campaign, go to the concept note on the Windhoek + 20 Campaign website.