The IST is a new initiative to support leaders in open governance, especially aimed at public servants, with tailor-made programmes for sharing best practice in the implementation of access to information law and policy.

For more information about the programme please click HERE

Latest News

RTI Activist shot dead

A prominent (Right to Information) RTI activist and 'green crusader' Amit Jethwa was shot dead near the Gujarat High Court on 20  July 2010.

Read the full story here

South African Information Bill like "apartheid era" legislation

Sections of the South african government's proposed protection of information legislation are reminiscent of apartheid-era secrecy laws, according to an intelligence expert.

Read the full story here

Freedom of Information: Current Status, Challenges and Implications for News Media

Read an article by Edetaen Ojo presented at the UNESCO World Press Freedom Day held in Brisbane, Australia, in early May 2010

World Cup tender documents to be released

Days before kick-off, answers to who cashed in on the millions spent on the Soccer World Cup will finally be forthcoming after a Mail & Guardian court victory on Tuesday to access tender documents.

Acting Judge Les Morison ruled in the South Gauteng High Court on Tuesday afternoon that the World Cup local organising committee (LOC) must provide the M&G with all tender documents pertaining to contracts awarded for the World Cup and the Confederations Cup within 30 days.

Read the Mail and Guardian article

Confidential Zim report to be released

In a clear victory to access to information in South Africa, the high court in Pretoria has ordered a confidential report on the 2002 Zimbabwe election be released. Acting Judge L Sapire has ordered the Presidency to hand over a report on the elections to the Mail & Guardian within seven days, and to pay the costs of the newspaper's court application.

Read the Mail and Guardian article here

Read the full court judgement here

Study tour to Stockholm, Sweden 1- 9 May 2010

From May 1- 9, the IST took a group of senior South African public servants on a study group tour to Stockholm , Sweden. The purpose of the trip was for South African public servants to experience the habitual culture of openess in Swedish government agencies.The delegates met with local government officials, the Parliamentary Ombuds office, the National Archives, dept of Health and the Prime Ministers office. The hope is that this group of public servants will become champions in promoting a culture of transparency.

Conference on ATI

Academics and practitioners from eleven countries and three continents gathered in Stockholm in 7-8 May, 2010 for the first public event of the new Södertörn-UCT partnership in collaboration with the IST.  The conference was titled " Contemporary challenges to the scope of the right of access to information: drawing the line between the public, the private & the personal – is a common standard emerging? ". For more information about the conference, please click HERE 

Video Conference series

We have recently completed a series of Video Conferences to discuss key issues of ATI law, policy and practice in Africa. The purpose of the VCs was to enable a group of strategically-selected leaders from government, civil society and the private sector, to explore best practice and to share challenges and solutions.

Online discussion forum

We have started a discussion forum to support the network of ATI champions who will participate in the video conferences  in order to maintain contact between and before VCs, introduce new topics and build on discussions.To join in these discussions , please create an account (see menu on left of this home page). Once you have registered, you will see a tab at the top called "IST forum". Click on it and join in the discussions.