The IDB approves a New Access to Information Policy

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) took the final step of a process that lasted several years and culminated with the approval of a new Access to Information Policy (PAI) by the Board of Executive Directors.

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The new policy, approved on July 26, 2024, which updates the current IDB policy, will go into effect on September 1, 2025

At Fundeps, together with other regional organizations, we actively participate in the process of updating and adapting the IDB’s PAI, sending comments and suggestions to each of the previous versions, as well as participating in various public consultations to strengthen the right. access to information and transparency in the Bank.

As improvements introduced to the new Bank Policy, mention can be made of the possibility of making anonymous information requests, the reduction in the IDB’s response times to information requests and the work that the institution is doing to increase the usability of the information. and the use of more accessible formats. Even so, it is imperative to consider that access to Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) is not universal or uniform.

Likewise, there are essential aspects that the PAI, or its next updates, must incorporate, such as:

• The approach to access to information as a fundamental human right and, therefore, a pillar of the PAI itself.
• The harmonization of the Access to Information Policy with the Escazú Agreement.
• Eliminate ambiguities in the language of the standard, mainly in the “Exceptions” section, which must be more precise and establish clear criteria for its application.

Likewise, it is worrying that some criteria and parameters that will make the PAI effective are addressed in the Implementation Guidelines. In this way, the effectiveness and strength of the PAI will depend greatly on these Guidelines, which do not require mandatory compliance, as the PAI itself does.

Likewise, it should be mentioned that there were significant delays in the PAI review process. At the end of 2019, the IDB began this process that was suspended months later. Subsequently, in April 2022, it was resumed and the Bank presented a new policy proposal to the Board of Executive Directors, which was approved for public consultation with interested parties. It was only in January 2024 when the final version of the New Information Access Policy was approved, which did not take into account many of the comments and suggestions raised by civil society within the framework of the in-person and virtual consultations organized by the own bank.

As a next step, after the approval of the Access to Information Policy, the Implementation Guidelines for its application will be prepared, which, according to the IDB, will be circulated in a timely manner for comments from the public and civil society organizations. Given the great importance of these Guidelines, especially in this case, we hope that this will be the case and we reiterate the importance of the Bank placing people at the center and using the possibility of making effective and full the exercise of the right of access to information , also strengthening in this process the effective participation of civil society organizations, communities and people affected by their projects and populations in vulnerable situations.

 

More Information

• New IDB Access to Information Policy (2024)
• IDB | Update of the access to information policy (2024)
• IDB launches new Access to Information Policy to improve transparency and accountability – IDB (2024)
• Comments to strengthen the IDB’s Access to Information Policy – Fundeps (2023)
• Recommendations and comments from Civil Society to the Draft Access to Information Policy of the Inter-American Development Bank – Fundeps (2022)
• IDB began public consultation for the new Access to Information Policy – Fundeps (2022)
• Shortcomings in the Access to Information Policy of the Inter-American Development Bank (2022)

Contact

Gonzalo Roza, gon.roza@fundeps.org