Access to information act, 2017 malawi legal information institute. The world bank policy on access to information, launched on july 1, 2010 is a landmark disclosure policy adopted by the world bank. In 2000, the promotion of access to information act paia came into law, fulfilling the provision of section 32 of the constitution which requires the enactment of legislation relating to access to information. The purpose of the promotion of access to information act is to ensure that people can exercise their constitutional right of access to any information that is required for the exercise or protection of any right and is held by the state. Public health act malawi legal information institute. This water resources act of 20 outlines preliminary provisions, the national water resources authority, the national water policy and national water resources master plan, water abstraction and use, protected areas and controlled activities, prevention and control of water pollution, government waterworks, safety of dams and flood management, water charges and financial. The motivation for giving effect to the right of access to information is to foster a culture of.
The malawi government finally gazetted the longawaited access to information bill, 2016 on 19th february 2016. Freedom of information open government partnership. Nearly all patients were involuntarily hospitalized under malawis mental treatment act 94. The bill seeks to provide for access to information that is in the custody of public bodies and private bodies. The malawi gazette supplement dated 16th february, 2017, containing. Peter mutharika panos institute southern africa psaf has commended the president of malawi arthur peter mutharika for finally assenting to the access to information act.
In kenya, for instance, the official secrets act 1970 was passed to limit access by citizens to information that the government believed would compromise its internal security. Malawi, a landlocked country in southeastern africa. Malawi government ratified the uncrpd in 2009, thereby guaranteeing people with disabilities their fundamental human rights, one of which is access. Promotion of access to information act 2000 act no. Guide on how to use the promotion of access to information. This statement was originally published on on 16 december 2016. Prohibition against revealing secret information 14.
The enactment of the access to information law underpins the. Information and knowledge is publicly available also through numerous related world bank initiatives such as open data, open knowledge repository and open finances. The bill contains sixty clauses and is divided into the following eleven parts part i contains preliminary provisions including the. Access to information act to benefit all misamalawi. Malawi access to information act 2016 malawi access to info. What can libraries in malawi do under the copyright act. Save as otherwise provided in this act, the provisions of this act shall apply to an ngo within malawi which fulfils the following.
Links provide access to primary documents, legal commentary, and general government information about specific jurisdictions and. Customary land act and regulations now in force in malawi. Public access to information and prohibition of disclosure part x environmental fund. A malawi communications sector policy statement was also released by the malawi government in 1998 to outline the malawi government policy for the development of the.
Misa malawi sought a rapid analysis and assessment of. Constitution of the republic of malawi arrangement of sections section chapter i the republic of malawi 1. Archives and records in support of public sector reform in context. While more detail on the actual methodology is contained in appendix a, the. Maximising access to this information promotes justice and the rule of law. It is bordered by zambia to the west, tanzania to the north and northeast, and mozambique surrounding on the east, south and southwest. The malawi access to information act, 2017 page 1 ict. Access to information act, 2017 malawi legal information. Doing business in malawi market overview malawi is one of the poorest nations on earth, with over 17 million inhabitants and a population growth rate estimated at approximately 3%. The malawi parliament last night passed the access to information ati bill which has been highly fought for years. Parliament passes access to information law the times.
The media institute of southern africa misa malawi chairperson thom khanje described the development as a watershed moment which generations from now would. The republic of malawi is a sovereign state with rights and obligations under the law of nations. Access to information act, 2018 seychelles legal information institute. The right of access to information is enshrined in the countrys 1995 constitution, which states, subject to any act of parliament, every person shall have the right of access to all information held by the state or any of its organs at any level of government in so far as such information is required for the exercise of his rights. Access to information laws and policies misa malawi. Legal information from africa legal information from the uk malawilii is a member of the global free access to law movement and of the african lii community. Access to information act roggkenya reporting on good. Freedom of the mass media and access to information proclamation no. This guide to law online malawi contains a selection of malawian legal, juridical, and governmental sources accessible through the internet. The media institute of southern africa misa malawi chapter has called on citizens to has emphasized to familiarize itself with the access to information ati act to fully utilize its benefits. Malawis constitution of 1994 with amendments through 1999. Endowed with spectacular highlands and extensive lakes, it occupies a narrow, curving strip of land along the east african rift valley.
The constitution of the republic of malawi 20 of 1994 an act to adopt and enact the constitution of the republic of malawi 18th may 1994 31 of 1994 6 of 1995 7 of 1995 1 of 1997 38 of 1998 11 of 1999 4 of 2001. Therefore, this programme seeks to campaign for the public to enjoy their right to be informed through unrestricted access to information. Following the results of the assessments, government of malawi decided to systematically address all the issues raised by developing a financial sector development strategy which spelt out the road map for its implementation. It is also recognised under section 37 of the malawi constitution pdf and many of the constitutions of southern african countries. Access to information bill malawi the object of this bill is. Lake nyasa, known in malawi as lake malawi, accounts for more than onefifth of. This act may be cited as the local government act, 1998 commence and shall come into operation on commencement such a date as the minister may, by notice published in the gazette, appoint. This act may be cited as the access to information act, 2016 and shall come into operation on such date as the minister may, by notice published in the gazette, appoint. The carter centers rule of law program formerly known as global access to information works in partnership with governments, civil society, and international and regional bodies to improve governance and transform lives through a meaningful right of access to information and justice. The act replaces the malawi posts and telecommunications act no. Pdf improving access to mental health services in malawi.
Media institute of southern africamisa malawi, citizens for justice, malawi. Agriculture is the mainstay of malawis economy, accounting for about onethird of gdp and. This act may be cited as the access to information act, short title and. President peter mutharika has finally assented the much awaited access to information bill into law allowing malawians to freely access information from the. However, there were what looked like deliberate ways by the government side to block the bill from passing only for the opposition to rally behind it using the numerical advantage during the sitting which led up to 8. Mambulasa3 introduction goal 16 of the sustainable development goals seeks to ensure public access to information.
The kenyan access to information act of 2016 pdf was enacted on september 21st, 2016 this is the act as downloaded from on sep 30, 2016. This act may be cited as the access to information act. Legal information from the uk malawilii is a member of the global free. Public legal information from all countries and international institutions is part of the common heritage of humanity. Constitution of the republic of malawi as amended up to.
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