OSCE media freedom representative calls for improved access to information at conference in Dushanbe

DUSHANBE, 26 May 2010 - The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic, called for more transparency and easier access to government-held information in a speech delivered at the 12th OSCE Central Asia Media Conference, which ended in Dushanbe today.

Speaking to participants from the five Central Asian states: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as well as from Afghanistan, Mijatovic called on Central Asian governments to improve access to information.

"Governments are not compiling data just for the sake of keeping it. They do it for the benefit of the public, which elected them as their representatives. The culture of confidentiality is outdated, especially with the widespread use of the Internet," Mijatovic said. "What we need now is a new culture of transparency that takes full advantage of the easy distribution methods new media can offer. Such an approach will increase trust between the authorities, civil society and citizens."

The two-day event was organized by the office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media, in co-operation with the OSCE Office in Tajikistan and supported by OSCE field operations in the region.

"New technologies offer quicker access to information, which enables citizens to make informed choices. This is the basis for democratic development", said Ambassador Ivar Vikki, Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan. "In Tajikistan, which is building up its capacity for new technologies, the OSCE Office has helped increase newspaper print runs by approximately 10 percent."

Conference participants adopted a declaration on access to information and new technologies in Central Asia, which will be available soon in English and Russian at www.osce.org/node/43499.

Sweden, the United States and Lithuania financed the conference.

Preceding the conference, Mijatovic spoke at an expert meeting on broadcast media policy development for representatives of the Tajik government and civil society that was organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.