FORUM: “Ensuring Access to Environmental Information in the Digital Age.” International Day for Universal Access to Information 2025. The theme focuses on the vital importance of timely, comprehensive, and cross-border access to environmental information in an increasingly digital world. Environmental data, encompassing climate change, pollution, biodiversity, and disaster risks, transcends national borders, necessitating collaborative, transparent, and innovative global sharing of information. This theme also highlights how digital technologies and open data platforms can enhance public access, foster transparency, and empower citizens and stakeholders to participate meaningfully in environmental governance and sustainable development. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #IDUAI, #28september, #RightToKnow, #Onlinespace #AccesstoinfoDay, #Artificialintelligence.
CONFERENCE: The 2025 International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), hosted by UNESCO and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, will take place in Manila on 29–30 September 2025. This landmark event marks the 10th anniversary of the designation of 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information, reflecting a decade of progress and challenges in the right to information worldwide. Read the concept note, explore the Agenda Programme and Register to participate!
This conference is organized by UNESCO with the active participation and collaboration of key partners, including the International Conference on Information Commissioners (ICIC), Open Government Partnership (OGP), and the Freedom of Information Advocates Network (FOIAnet), which brings expertise in access to information, digital innovation, and advocacy.
VIDEO: UNESCO IDUAI 2025: Ensuring Access to Environmental Information in the Digital Age - SDG 16.10.2.
Statement of UNESCO Director-General on behalf the International Day for Access to infomation 2025.
Information is a cornerstone of sustainable and democratic societies. It helps debunk lies and counter climate disinformation; it undermines hate speech while fosteringintercultural understanding. It helps combat extremism, promote informed decision-making and enhance transparency and accountability.However, for information to play such an instrumental role, all people must have equal access to it – and to make this possible, countries must adopt constitutional, statutory and political guarantees. Currently, just over two-thirds of United Nations Member States have done so.For this reason, UNESCO works to protect and promote access to information as a fundamental human right and a key driver of the Sustainable Development Goals. In support of these efforts, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information, acknowledging its vital rolein fostering development, democracy and equality. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Agreement, reminding us of this landmark climate treaty’s call for international cooperation “in taking measures, as appropriate, to enhance climate change education, training, public awareness, public participation and public access to information”. In the same vein, held under the theme of “Ensuring Access to Environmental Information in the Digital Age”, this year’s International Day calls for greater recognition that reliable, timely and accurate information on the environment is essential for effective climate action, informed public participation and strengthened accountability. This is the focus of the global conference to be hosted by UNESCO and the Philippine Government in Manila, the Republic of the Philippines, on 29 and 30 September 2025. Through this conference, and in its broader efforts around the world, our Organization is working to establish international and regional partnerships to empower individuals and communities alike to seek, receive and share information that directly affects their lives and their environment. Today’s societies need inclusive access to information to build just, peaceful and sustainable futures. On this International Day for Universal Access to Information, UNESCO therefore calls on countries around the world to embrace information as a global public good.
Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General.
EVENTS: IDUAI 2025 - Celebrations around the world.
Title: The Sixth AI4IA (Artificial Intelligence for Information Accessibility) Conference of IFAP
Date of the event: 28 September 2025,
Global.
Format: Online
Outlines: The UNESCO Information For All Programme (IFAP) Working Group on Information Accessibility (WGIA) is hosting its sixth online one-day AI4IA Conference on Sunday, September 28, 2025, to commemorate the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI). This year’s event is hosted in collaboration with the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Alberta, Canada; the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii); and the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica, all under the auspices of the UNESCO Regional Office for the Caribbean and the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa.
The conference will explore a range of topics under a central theme, “AI Access In Focus,” making the implications of AI (risks and opportunities) understandable and relatable to the broadest cross-section of people and will tackle pressing questions around trust, communication, and the social nature of technical systems, offering a multidimensional view of AI’s role in our lives.
Contact: Xianhong Hu, IFAP Secretariat
Ethiopia
Title: Panel Discussion- Ensuring Access to Environmental Information in Ethiopia
Date of the event: 15 October 2025
In line with the global theme of the 2025 International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), Ethiopia will commemorate the day with a panel discussion designed to: (1)Strengthen participants’ understanding of the importance of Access to Information (ATI), with particular emphasis on the critical role that access to environmental information plays in advancing climate resilience in Ethiopia. (2) Clarify the responsibilities of government officials, public relations officers, civil society organizations working on environmental protection, and environmental journalists in promoting and advocating for access to environmental information. (3) Provide a space for participants to reflect on the practicality and implementation of access to environmental information within their respective institutions.
Format: Panel Discussion
Outlines: The commemoration will feature a panel discussion. The event will open with keynote addresses from distinguished officials and scholars, including an opening speech by the Chief of EIO and UNESCO. Scholars will also present research-based papers focusing on two key areas: (1)Access to environmental information from Ethiopian perspectives; and (2)The role of civil society in advocating for access to environmental information in Ethiopia. Following the presentations, participants will engage in discussions to exchange experiences and best practices in promoting access to environmental information and strengthening public participation. The event aims to raise awareness of the significance of access to environmental information and to explore its effective implementation within the Ethiopian context.
Contact-s:
(1) Manaye Alemu – Director of ATI at the Ethiopian Institution of the Ombudsman (EIO)
(2) Aderaw Genetu - Programme Officer for CI Sector, UNESCO Addis Ababa.
Latin America region
Title: Mesa Redonda Virtual para América Latina - Día Internacional del Acceso Universal a la Información (IDUAI) 2025, “Avanzando el acceso a la información para la protección medioambiental en América Latina”
Date of the event: Friday 26 September 2025
Format: Online, webinar. Registration here: https://shorturl.at/VaoXg
Outlines: As every year, UNESCO Montevideo Office is organizing an event to celebrate IDUAI 2025. In this occasion, it will be held a virtual roundtable jointly organized with CEPAL.
The activity will seek to address some of the following questions from different perspectives/actors and countries in the region. What recent advances have been made in terms of access to environmental information? How has this served to promote citizen participation and access to justice in environmental matters, particularly for members of vulnerable groups, in accordance with the other pillars of the Escazú Regional Agreement? What data would be useful to collect in order to monitor progress in this area? What mechanisms have been effective in reaching consensus on actions with other stakeholders in this regard?
Contact-s: Rosa M. González, Marcos Mendiburu (senior consultant and moderator of the roundtable, Cecilia González
Country: 20 Dutch & English-speaking Caribbean (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago)
Title: Caribbean Regional Webinar on Access to information (ATII) - Towards Transparency: Advancing Access to Information Laws in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
Date of the event: 9 September 2025
Format: Webinar
Outlines: While some Caribbean countries have enacted ATI or Freedom of Information laws, others remain at the drafting stage. Also, many existing legal frameworks face persistent implementation gaps, limited public awareness and resource constraints. Building on these diverse experiences, the webinar, organized by UNESCO and the Centre for Law and Democracy, will discuss and examine the draft Model ATI Law and ATI Principles being proposed for SIDS. Stakeholders from governments, civil society, media and regional bodies will contribute feedback to ensure that the model that will be formally adopted at the Global IDUAI event in the Philippines, reflects Caribbean realities and perspectives. The webinar also seeks to promote regional exchange of good practices, to strengthen ownership of ATI principles and encourage the adoption of robust laws that advance transparency, accountability, and SDG 16.10.2. In addition, it will identify countries interested in participating in a regional ATI pilot.
Contacts: Paul Hector; Marius Lukosiunas
Mongolia
Title: Panel Discussion on “Ensuring the Right to Access Environmental Information in the Digital Age” – 10th Anniversary of the International Day for Universal Access to Information.
Date of the event: 29 September 2025
Format: In-person (Ulaanbaatar)
Outlines: With support of UNESCO, the Globe International Center is organizing a high-level panel discussion to mark the 10th anniversary of the International Day for Universal Access to Information. Between 70 and 100 representatives from government institutions, civil society organizations, media outlets, and journalists are expected to participate. Discussions will focus on ensuring the public’s right to access environmental information, reviewing the implementation of the Mongolian Law on Transparency of Public Information, and strengthening cooperation between state institutions and the media. Participants will also exchange views on practical measures to advance transparency and accountability in the digital age.
Contact-s: Qingyi Zeng
Title: Media Training on Climate, Heritage, and Sustainable Tourism Reporting
Date of the event: 25–30 September 2025
Format: In-person (Ulaanbaatar and Khanbogd soum, South Gobi)
Outlines: Under the framework of the UNESCO–Rio Tinto Mongolia Sustainable Tourism Project, UNESCO and the Press Institute of Mongolia are organizing a media training workshop on Climate, Heritage, and Sustainable Tourism Reporting. The workshop will bring together fifteen journalists, social media influencers, and communication officers for a two-day training in Ulaanbaatar, followed by a four-day field visit to Khanbogd soum.
The programme will strengthen participants’ skills in accessing and using reliable environmental and heritage information, reframing climate narratives to highlight local realities, and fostering community-centered, solutions-oriented reporting. By equipping media professionals with these tools, the training directly supports the 2025 International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) theme, “Ensuring Access to Environmental Information in the Digital Age.” It also contributes to UNESCO’s global agenda of advancing transparency, accountability, and sustainable development through the promotion of access to information and quality journalism.
Contact-s: Qingyi Zeng
République Démocratique du Congo (RDC)
Title: Journée Internationale de l’Accès Universel à l’Information “Garantir l’accès à l’information environnementale à l’ère numérique”
Format: Hybride
Outlines: Dans le cadre de la mise en œuvre du Programme Régulier, le Bureau prévoit d’organiser, en collaboration avec la Fédération des Radios de Proximité du Congo (FRPC) et le Secrétariat Général du Ministère de la Communication et Médias, un webinaire visant à promouvoir l’accès à l’information environnementale en République Démocratique du Congo. L’initiative mettra l’accent sur le renforcement des capacités des radios communautaires, en particulier dans les zones rurales, à travers la formation des journalistes locaux à la production de contenus environnementaux adaptés aux réalités culturelles et linguistiques. Ce webinaire vise à sensibiliser les populations aux enjeux écologiques tels que le reboisement, la gestion des déchets, la résilience climatique et la protection des ressources naturelles, dans un contexte marqué par des catastrophes naturelles récentes, notamment des inondations dans plusieurs provinces, y compris Kinshasa.
L’atelier, prévu en format hybride le 29 septembre 2025 dans la salle Irina Bokova, réunira 145 journalistes issus des 26 provinces du pays. Il encouragera l’intégration des outils numériques podcasts, réseaux sociaux, diffusion en ligne dans les pratiques des radios communautaires pour élargir leur audience et renforcer leur impact. En valorisant les voix des femmes, des jeunes, des anciens et des leaders communautaires, le webinaire contribuera à une communication inclusive et participative. Deux exposés thématiques permettront aux participants de mieux comprendre les types d’informations environnementales disponibles en RDC, les sources accessibles, et le rôle stratégique des radios communautaires dans la sensibilisation écologique. À l’issue de cette rencontre, les journalistes seront mieux outillés pour produire et diffuser des contenus environnementaux de qualité, favorisant un accès élargi à l’information dans les territoires.
Contact-s: Claudine Ndaya
Uzbekistan
Title: Official opening ceremony of the Academy of Justice, lecture to the local judges and an International conference of Judicial Academies on Judicial reform in Uzbekistan
Date of the event: October 2-3, 2025
Format: in-person
Outlines: Within the UNESCO/SDC Media Program “Empowering the Government and Citizens of Uzbekistan by Strengthening Access to Information, Accountability of Institutions and Media Competence” UNESCO field office in Uzbekistan supports Supreme School of Judges (now Academy of Justice) in training judges across Uzbekistan in Freedom of Expression, Access to Information and Safety of journalists. Already 290 judges were trained in these topics. On October 2 and 3 UNESCO in collaboration with Academy of Justice is inviting international expert Joan Barata Mir to participate in the opening ceremony of the Academy of Justice of Uzbekistan. Also, Joan Barata Mir will give a 1,5-hour lecture on Universal Access to Information to 80 judges of the Academy and will participate in the conference with his speech about the ongoing developments on ATI in Uzbekistan, international standards and legislation on ATI, as well as regional trainings of judges on FoE and ATI and the progress on the teaching modules prepared by UNESCO and Supreme School of Judges (now Academy of Justice). This year Uzbekistan joined the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to global public good.Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) which is going to be mentioned and discussed by the expert. These events are going to contribute to the IDUAI 2025.
Contact-s: Bakhrom Radjabov
LIVESTREAM: Watch the Main Plenary via Facebook or YouTube.
Breakout Room 1 (Panels 2A, 6C, 7E): Facebook - YouTube
Breakout Room 2 (Panels 2B, 6D, 7F): ZOOM
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