Ambassador Huseyin Avni Bicakli, Deputy Secretary General of the Economic Cooperation Organization accompanied by ECO’s Head of Section for International Relations Mr. Muhammad Farooq participated in the International Conference on Universal Access to Information on September 28, 2020. The conference, held on the occasion of International Day on Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), was organized virtually by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan in collaboration with the Public Foundation for Support and Development of National Mass Media.
The conference, attended by over 180 participants from Uzbekistan, the OSCE area and beyond, recognized the significance of access to information and focused on the right to information in times of crisis as well as the advantages of having constitutional or policy guarantees for public access to information and formulation of sustainable policies through and beyond the COVID-19 crisis.
In view of the COVID-19 pandemic and rapid socio-economic developments taking place at the regional and global levels, the ECO strongly believes that joint and integrated efforts are required by all the international and regional partners in achieving the information society leading to universal access to information as a key objective of the UN Agenda 2030 and ECO Vision 2025. Acknowledging the efforts of ECO in developing communication infrastructure and relevant legal frameworks in information sector, the ECO delegates were invited at the conference by OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan as special guests.
On October 15, 2019, the 74th UN General Assembly proclaimed September 28 as International Day on Universal Access to Information (IDUAI).
