Since the early 1990s dozens of countries have passed laws on access to information. Many TI national chapters have been actively involved in campaigning for these laws to become a reality. Some of them have succeeded and have since become engaged in monitoring the way in which they function. Others are still pursuing their parliaments, congresses and governments to have the debate started, the laws discussed or enacted. Another group is only now starting the debate within their communities, building coalitions, raising awareness and preparing draft legislation to present it to their Legislative bodies.

This map illustrates the situation regarding countries with access to information legislation (2005):

http://www.privacyinternational.org/issues/foia/foia-laws.jpg

For more on the process of enacting access to information legislation, please refer to the implementation section of the TI Anti-Corruption Handbook. There you will find information about the different stages it usually takes to have legislation enacted. You will also find detailed references to the most important sets of principles and standards which are internationally recognized and used to be incorporated in legislation.

The best available source to review the content of all existing access to information legislation in detail, is compiled in the global survey: “Freedom of Information and Access to Government Records Around the World”, published by David Banisar, Visiting Fellow, Department of Law, University of Leeds and Director of the Freedom of Information Project of Privacy International. The latest version dates from 2006, and can be downloaded here.