UNESCO and FEMNET: Toward increased engagement of African women’s organisations in advocating for Freedom of Information

Cover of publication "Freedom of Information (FOI) & Women's Rights in Africa. Copyright: UNESCO.

Recognising the importance of freedom of information laws and policies for the promotion and protection of women’s rights, UNESCO and the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) are partnering in the implementation of the Freedom of Information and Women’s Rights in Africa Project. The first stage of this ongoing regional initiative consisted in the publication of the Resource Book Freedom of Information (FOI) and Women Rights in Africa. A Collection of Case Studies from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Zambia, which aimed at documenting the involvement of African women’s organisations in collective efforts to advance freedom of information.

The resource book stresses the linkages between freedom of information and women’s empowerment. It presents good practices illustrating how civil society organisations specialized on women’s rights, as well as others, have helped advance women’s freedom of information in Africa. It also surveys the status of freedom of information and the challenges it faces in a region that is relatively lagging behind others in terms of the adoption and effective implementation of laws guaranteeing this right, whose international recognition has notably increased in the past decade.

“Ultimately freedom of information is about power, power and power. Women are subject to unequal power relations internationally,” states one of the practitioners interviewed in the course of the research. Women can change that by taking power in their own hands, she adds, concluding that among the many interesting ways for them to do so is through the “ability to organize and demand information,” which allows them to “shift power relations, mediate them and own their own lives.”

To clearly picture the connection between freedom of information and the well-being of women and girls, one only needs to think about the potential benefits derived from their improved access to information on education, maternal health, HIV/AIDS, land rights, food security, agricultural methods, access to social programmes, loan opportunities and income-generating activities, among many other key issues. Better information flows can contribute to raise awareness about women’s rights both among women and the population at large, help unveil instances where these entitlements are infringed upon and spread knowledge on how to seek assistance for their protection. Furthermore, access to public information in the custody of governments can strengthen the work of civil society actors promoting women’s rights, and efforts monitoring the extent to which governments fulfill their commitments to ensure gender equality.

Despite all the above, the resource book’s findings underline the limited engagement of women’s organisations in processes related to the drafting, adoption and implementation of freedom of information laws in Africa. Several reasons are cited for this low level of involvement, such as insufficient awareness about freedom of information, and particularly regarding the advantages it represents for women’s empowerment and actions to guarantee their rights. Moreover, in a context of scarce resources and multiple competing priorities, civil society organisations in the countries under study tend not to focus on freedom of information, and generally lack the necessary capacity to address the related issues. In addition, it is common for freedom of information to be misconceived as a matter predominantly relevant to the media rather than affecting every individual. Further, efforts to bring women’s organisations on board FOI coalitions on the part of the media and other actors who often lead these have shown to be rather poor.

To mark the international launch of the resource book, an expert roundtable discussion was held at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris on 16 March 2010, as part of the organisation’s celebrations of International Women’s Day. Building on the insights emerging from this exchange of ideas and the resource book’s conclusions, UNESCO and FEMNET are currently planning follow-up actions to promote the involvement of African women’s organisations in freedom of information advocacy efforts, their use of FOI laws and the direct exercise of this right by women and girls themselves.