Theme: Freedom of Information and Women's Rights in Africa/Theme: Liberte de l'Information et Droits de la Femme en Afrique.

• Author: Hambuba, Carlyn
• Position: Editorial

The right to Freedom of Information (FOI) has been overlooked in many African countries despite it being the foundation of all other human rights. Free access to Information remains a highly debatable issue in many countries, yet many people have made wrong decisions because they lacked accurate information. For the African woman, lack of FOI has negated her potential to contribute towards solving problems that the continent faces, such as disease, disasters and political instabilities.

The right to Freedom of information is even guaranteed in Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and also enshrined in the International Convention of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which many African countries are party to this convention. Access to information is very important in any democratic nation because it enhances the role of women as advocates of change in matters affecting society such as peace building, democracy environmental sustainability, public health, grassroots economic development, human, women's and children's rights, religious freedom and other critical social issues which have lagged behind because women do not have the vital information to make them act.

FOI is also one of the core principles of good governance. With FOI in place citizens have a right to; participate in public affairs, hold those in office accountable, demand their rights and entitlements, and also ensure that policy-making and implementation are tailored towards bringing about equitable development. In most cases FOI has been viewed in the context of liberating journalists, when in essence, access to the right information can provide leverage for women in Africa to effectively participate in important developmental issues like Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), the UN Millennium Development Goals, International instruments like CEDAW, Beijing Platform for Action and the African Union's NEPAD initiative.

Lack of free access to information impairs the democratic process and slows economic and social development as citizens are unable to participate effectively in the processes of government, make informed choices. Only with the right information can the citizenry fully participate in a democratic process and actively exercise their human rights

In this issue of FEMNET News, we bring you a collection of articles highlighting the importance of free access to information. The Newsletter features Kenya Commission of Jurists...