Marginalised Communities’ Must Have Equal Access To Information: Experts

News Desk

Islamabad: It is crucial for people with disabilities, transgender people, and religious minorities to have equal access to information to promote inclusivity, remarked experts.

Information and its access, if effectively utilised, can become a means for empowerment, justice, and equal participation in society, added experts.

Speaking at a national conference titled ‘The Importance of Online Space for Access to Information’, experts mapped priorities to address challenges faced by marginalised people in accessing information online.

As part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) ‘International Day for Universal Access to Information’, the Peace and Justice Network (PJN), along with its partners the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC), and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, held a conference on Friday and agreed to collaborate to strengthen access to information online.

Participants stated that keeping the United Nations’ shared value of ‘leaving no one behind’ at its core, it is imperative to ensure that these groups leverage online spaces.

The online space has emerged as a vital resource for many communities, including underprivileged ones. In addition to providing a forum to engage in public discourse, they are also providing a means of income, they further added.

Marginalised communities, already stigmatised, can use these spaces to improve their social and economic standing. Therefore, it is important to understand that the rights perspective needs to be incorporated into online spaces and, by extension, the internet.

An approach developed by UNESCO that safeguards rights is open and accessible to all and consists of representing pluralism, informed speakers at the conference.

Senator Farhatullah Babar highlighted the need for government institutions to enhance access to information to strengthen democratic values in the country.

Chief Information Commissioner Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui stressed the need for more proactive disclosure to promote a culture of accountability and transparency in order to strengthen the role of information commissions.

Participants highlighted the need for a strong policy framework to address internet disruptions, ensure access to information and protect fundamental rights.