AU Rapporteur on freedom of expression visits Malawi
Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa advocate Pansy Tlakula is in the country on an advocacy mission and to appreciate the progress Malawi has made in the enactment of an Access to Information (ATI) law.
Tlakula, who arrived in the country on Sunday in the company of ATI experts from the Open Society Foundation and the Centre for Human Rights of the University of Pretoria, is scheduled to hold meetings with various government officials, including Minister of Justice Samuel Tembenu and Minister of Information, Tourism and Culture, Kondwani Nankhumwa.
The Rapporteur will also meet the Speaker of the National Assembly Richard Msowoya and members of various parliamentary committees, the Malawi Human Rights Commission, the United Nations Resident Coordinator and civil society organisations working on ATI.
Media Institute of Southern Africa Malawi Chapter (Misa- Malawi) chairperson Thom Khanje said his organisation considers this as a high-level advocacy mission which is timely and imperative in the country’s efforts to have legislation on ATI.
“The visit by the Special Rapporteur does not only add impetus to local efforts for Malawi to have legislation on ATI but also demonstrates the importance of ATI in promoting good governance and citizen participation in the democratic process,” said Khanje in a press statement.
The statement further says Tlakula was appointed pursuant to a Resolution of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights as adopted at AU Commission’s 38th Ordinary Session on December 5, 2005.
Among others, the major focus of the Rapporteur’s work has been to encourage AU member states to adopt ATI laws which conform to regional and international standards.
“To that end, the Special Rapporteur led the process for the development of a model law on ATI for Africa to assist member states in the adoption of ATI laws that are in line with international principles and standards,” reads part of the statement.
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