Morocco/Awareness-raising meeting in Oujda on the right of access to information

An awareness-raising meeting on the theme of "the right of access to information" was held on Tuesday in Oujda, on the initiative of the association Pionniers du changement pour le développement et la culture.

Participants in this event, organized in partnership with the Oujda local council as part of the "INFOS COMMUNE" project, saw the right of access to information as a fundamental lever for consolidating participatory democracy and opening up public institutions to their environment.information as a fundamental lever for consolidating participatory democracy and ensuring the openness of public institutions to their environment, enabling citizens to monitor public policies and actively participate in their evaluation.

They emphasized that this awareness-raising day, which is part of a series of similar meetings also to be held in Berkane and Nador, provides an opportunity to change and raise awareness of the importance of information and communication.change and raise awareness of the importance of strengthening society's awareness of the right of access to information and its role in promoting the principles of transparency and citizen participation.

According to the organizers, these meetings are part of efforts to implement law no. 31.13 on the right of access to information as a fundamental pillar for promoting openness, laying the foundations for good governance and improving administrative practices by enshrining the right to access to information.administrative practices by enshrining the values of integrity and accountability, and strengthening citizens' trust in the administration.

In a statement to MAP, Chakib Sbaibi, Executive Director of the association Pionniers du changement pour le développement et la culture, explained that these awareness-raising meetings are part of a vision to equip citizens with tools for knowledge and accountability.

He added that these meetings were well attended by students, researchers, journalists and citizens, reflecting society's interest in exercising this right.

Sbaibi emphasized that the "INFOS.COMMUNE" project, launched by the association in collaboration with the German Heinrich Böll Foundation, aims to develop a digital platform enabling citizens to access data, decicisions and action plans, as well as organizing training sessions for local players and a round table on personal data protection and cybersecurity.

This initiative, he continued, is not limited to simply presenting the legal procedures for filing requests for access to information, but also aims to strengthen the capacities of institutional players and civil society in this field.

For her part, Afaf Ajdaine, a student in the journalism and digital media program at Oujda's Mohammed Premier University (UMP), explained that her participation in the meeting had given her a better understanding of the importance of this right and how it can be exercised.She felt that this law was a qualitative asset for the work of journalists, particularly in terms of access to public data.

She noted that enshrining the right of access to information would help to strengthen trust between citizens and the administration, by establishing the principles of transparency and openness in the management of public affairs.She stressed the importance of involving the various stakeholders in implementing the provisions of this law on the ground.

Source: www.mapexpress.ma/