The summer of 2024 has been busy for OGIS staff as we traveled to several conferences to share and present information about the work of the FOIA Ombuds office. Below is a brief recap. In June, OGIS staff traveled to the American Society of Access Professionals (ASAP) conference in Anaheim, CA, to teach two sessions … Continue reading OGIS Public Engagement Spans the Globe
Category: FOIA around the world
OGIS at the Council on Government Ethics Laws Conference
Last week staff from OGIS attended and presented two sessions at the annual Council on Government Ethics Laws (COGEL) conference, held in Kansas City, MO. Our presentations included a panel on best practices regarding FOIA compliance – OGIS staff highlighted the value of training FOIA professionals to understand the FOIA itself as well as the … Continue reading OGIS at the Council on Government Ethics Laws Conference
International Conference of Information Commissioners Issues Statement on Access to Information
The International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC) met in June via hybrid (online and in-person) for the 13th International Conference. Alina M. Semo, OGIS Director, serves on the Executive Committee of the ICIC. As a part of this year’s work at the conference, the Commission issued a public statement around access to information, specifically that … Continue reading International Conference of Information Commissioners Issues Statement on Access to Information
OGIS: Spanning the Globe
Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) Director Alina M. Semo joined 63 information commissioners and ombudsmen overseeing access to public information from around the world in the first ever virtual convening of the International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC) closed meeting on June 23-24, 2021. During the two-day session, Director Semo updated participants on the … Continue reading OGIS: Spanning the Globe
Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: David Cuillier
Today we present an interview with David Cuillier, Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor at the University of Arizona School of Journalism and a member of the FOIA Advisory Committee. This is part of a series of posts on the Committee, whose members are FOIA experts from inside and outside of government who are appointed … Continue reading Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: David Cuillier
UNESCO and ICIC Celebrate International Day for Universal Access to Information
In observance of International Day for Universal Access to Information, two international access organizations are co-hosting a webinar from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EDT on September 29, 2020, to discuss best practices in access to information amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Register for the webinar here. The United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) … Continue reading UNESCO and ICIC Celebrate International Day for Universal Access to Information
The Importance of Preserving Pandemic Records
In a recent statement, Turning the threat of COVID-19 into an opportunity for greater support to documentary heritage, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic, which many countries have already declared to be modern history’s gravest health emergency, will one day become a part of our shared history. In … Continue reading The Importance of Preserving Pandemic Records
Statement of the International Conference of Information Commissioners: “Access to Information in the context of a global pandemic”
The impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic brings unprecedented challenges for our society, both nationally and globally. The Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) has joined over three dozen of its colleagues worldwide to support the International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC) in its statement acknowledging the challenges public authorities face in the current pandemic … Continue reading Statement of the International Conference of Information Commissioners: “Access to Information in the context of a global pandemic”
OGIS Officially Joins the International Access Community
OGIS is excited to report that it was recently welcomed as one of the first accredited official members of the International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC). The ICIC connects Information Commissioners, Ombudsmen and other bodies charged with overseeing the implementation of Access to Public Information legislation around the world. The ICIC’s values of Respect and … Continue reading OGIS Officially Joins the International Access Community
Freedom (of Information) Rings at COGEL 2018
The Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) held its 40th annual conference earlier this month in Philadelphia, PA. COGEL is the preeminent organization of government ethics administrators, and its members work in the fields of governmental ethics, freedom of information (FOI), elections, lobbying and campaign finance. Members include governmental entities (state, local, and foreign) educational … Continue reading Freedom (of Information) Rings at COGEL 2018