Right to Know Day
A meeting dedicated to the commendation of the Right to Know Day, 28 September, was organized today in Belgrade by the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, the Coalition for Free Access to Information, the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) and the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS), OSCE and UNDP, while a number of representatives of the media, NGOs, public authorities and members of diplomatic choir took part in it. Addresses at the meeting were made by: Mr. Thomas Moore, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, H.E. Nils Ragnar Kamsvag, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Serbia, Mr. William Infante, UNDP Resident Representative in the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Milan Markovic, a member of the Government and the Minister of Human and Minority Rights, Public Administration and Local Self-Government, and Commissioner Rodoljub Sabic.
In connection with the commendation of the Right to Know Day, Commissioner Rodoljub Sabic said the following:
"This year, like previous five years, we are commending the International Right to Know Day. This is an opportunity to remind you that we achieved evident results in implementation of the Law on Free Access to Information, but that does not give us the right to be satisfied. The situation in the field of freedom of information is not changing fast enough. Because of that, we are missing an opportunity to achieve necessary results in further democratization, rationalization of the government apparatus, establishment of relations of higher quality in the media sphere and, what I would particularly like to emphasize, in the fight against abuses, crime and corruption
This is exactly why this day, commended in a similar way in over a hundred countries worldwide, is a good opportunity to praise the efforts of and the results achieved by public authorities which have made quality improvements to their public relations."
Winners of the awards were selected again this year by the Commission for Presentation of Awards and Improvement of Freedom of Information, consisting of the representatives of the Coalition on Access to Information, associations of journalists and academia who evaluated work of public authorities in the affirmation of freedom of information. The awards were presented by Commissioner Rodoljub Sabic.
The Commissioner presented the award for contribution to the affirmation of freedom of information and transparency of work in the category of public authorities of the highest level to the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, while its President, Ms. Slavica Djukic Dejanovic received the award. In the category of republic-level authorities, award was presented to the National Bank of Serbia. The award was received by Governor Dejan Soskic. In the category of provincial authorities, the award was received by the Provincial Secretary Tomislav Stantic on behalf of the Provincial Secretariat for International Cooperation and Local Self-government and in the category of local authorities the award was received by Mr. Sasa Bogdanovic, the Deputy President of the Krupanj Municipality. In the category of judicial authorities, the award was received by Acting President of the Court of Appeals in Novi Sad Slobodan Nadrljanski on behalf of this Court.
This year the Commission presented for the first time the award to the winner of the Competition for the Best Information Booklet – to the Ministry of Defence. The Commissioner presented the award to Mr. Dragan Sutanovac, the Minister of Defence.
The main award and the statuette for special contribution to the affirmation of freedom of information and transparency of work were presented to the Ombudsman. The Commissioner presented the award to Mr. Sasa Jankovic, the Ombudsman.
