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PRESS RELEASE
9 November 2000
Information for Accountability Workshop Workbook and Sourcebook
are now available
The International Records Management Trust, Rights and Records Institute is
pleased to announce the availability of the Workbook and Sourcebook for the
Information for Accountability Workshops. These can be downloaded from:
http://www.irmt.org/index2.html
The Danish Trust Fund for Governance, administered by the World Bank, and
the Westminster Foundation for Democracy provided funding for these tools.
What is an Information for Accountability Workshop?
The workshops provide government officials with a methodology to identify
and respond to citizens' legitimate demands for information about
government programmes. The aim is to encourage the public sector to educate
citizens about what is information is publicly available and how they may
obtain it, but also what is not and why not. Workshops provide a starting
point for the Government to determine what kind of information it needs to
demonstrate accountability to citizens and, therefore, which information
systems are most critical to allow transparency of public services.
Ultimately, the availability of more information should enhance the
public's confidence in government.

Why is a workshop needed?
One measure of good government should be the development of a clear and
well-established consultative process that involves the input of citizens
at various stages. For this to occur there must be open channels of
communication and a free flow of relevant information; this includes
knowing what information is available, how to obtain it and how to appeal
to government if information is withheld.
Citizens know they can ask their elected officials to answer their queries.
However, they also know that obtaining a response from government regularly
requires perseverance, grit and courage. In an environment where informa
tion is withheld there will be inevitable tensions and mistrust; citizens
can feel that government is somehow responsible for their misfortunes. The
aim of the workshop is to increase access to information in order to
develop a more informed civil society and provide the means for greater
participation in government.

Who will it serve?
The workshop is designed to bring together senior government officials and
members of legislature and civil society organisations to discuss the
problems of access to information. Organs of civil society are entitled to
know the business of government because government is mandated to take
actions on behalf of citizens. In turn, Government will benefit from
increased participation by gaining broad-based support for programmes and
reforms.

How can the Workbook be used?
The Information for Accountability Workshops methodology is made available
in the Workbook, the companion volume to this Sourcebook. The two should be
used in tandem.
The workbook provides the reader with tools for holding a successful
Information for Accountability Workshop to facilitate improvements in
access to public sector information.
WHO?: The workbook identifies the types of people that should participate
in the workshop. The aim is to bring together members of the government,
the legislature and representatives of civil society and the media. The
discussion will be structured to allow the expectations and misconceptions
on both sides to be identified. The workbook describes the type of people
who should be involved and the roles they play in government and society.
HOW?: The workbook provides practical instructions to help you plan and run
a successful Information for Accountability Workshop. Help given includes
step-by-step guidance on forming a planning committee, setting up the
workshop, identifying participants and developing the workshop programme.
It also provides advice on raising the profile of the workshop with appr
opriate publicity measures and obtaining funding.

How can the Sourcebook be used?
The sourcebook should be used in conjunction with the workbook. It makes
available the most relevant background information gathered in developing
the methodology and running pilot workshops. We hope this information will
be of use to those who wish to run their own workshops or to make some
other contribution in this area.

What is the Rights and Records Institute and what on-going support can it
provide?
The Rights and Records Institute is an operating division of the
International Records Management Trust. The Institute's mission is to
empower developing country governments to manage recorded information in
support of citizens' rights and to make public service delivery more
efficient, cost effective and transparent. The International Records
Management Trust is a legally registered charity with six trustees. It
works on a non-profit, cost recovery basis. The Trust was established to
 define and facilitate the introduction of methodologies for managing
records as a core part of the business of government and to work toward
articulating the significance of the records profession to public
officials.
The Institute will be pleased to provide support to organisations wishing
to use the materials but can only do so if there are funds to cover the
costs. For instance, it can help to adapt materials to different country
contexts, work with organisers to facilitate the setting up of workshops,
and advise organisers on selecting participants and case study materials.

What is the relationship to Transparency International?
Transparency International (TI) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental
organisation, established to highlight corruption internationally and
through its national chapters. It seeks to address corruption through
international and national coalitions that encourage governments to
establish and implement effective laws, policies and anti-corruption pro
grammes. TI works to strengthen public support and understanding for
anti-corruption programmes and enhance transparency and accountability in
international business transactions and in public administration.
The Trust takes sole responsibility for the contents of the workshop
programme, but it co-operates with TI and its national chapters. There is a
natural relationship between the Trust and TI because transparency is
reliant upon open access to information and records. Specifically, the
workshop approach is derived from a methodology developed by TI and the
broad design for the Information for Accountability Workshops was agreed
between the Trust and TI and select national chapters.
___________________________________________________________________________
If you want to know more about the Information for Accountability
Workshops, please contact:
Piers Cain
Director
Rights and Records Institute
International Records Management Trust
12 John Street
London WC1N 2EB, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7831 4101
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7831 7404
Email: [log in to unmask]
http://www.irmt.org






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