The Carter Center Focuses on Jamaica's Advances in Access to Information

**MEDIA ADVISORY**

CONTACTS:

In Kingston: Carole Excell or Amy Sterner, 876-755-3641

In Atlanta: Jon Moor, 404-420-5107

Kingston, Jamaica…The Carter Center will conduct a series of access to information events, June 6-9. News media are invited to cover any and all portions. Please visit www.cartercenter.org, or click the following links, for detailed agenda information:

The Media's Use of Access to Information and Investigative Journalism

Access to Information: Building a Culture of Transparency

Volunteer Attorney Panel Final Training

All participating experts also will be available for individual interviews. Use contact information above to submit requests.

The Carter Center Americas Program has worked in partnership with Jamaica's government and civil society to support the passage and effective implementation of the Access to Information Act since 1999, and a field office opened in 2004. The Center has helped to inform the debate about the legislation through the publication of guidebooks, the presentation of seminars, and by training various stakeholders in how best to use the law.

Event Highlights

Facilitated Discussion: The Media's Use of Access to Information and Investigative Journalism

When: Tuesday, June 6, 4-7 p.m.
Where: The Knutsford Court Hotel
Who: Carter Center, Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication, and Northern Caribbean University experts.
What: A facilitated discussion on the media's use of access to information and investigative journalism, with special emphasis on national security information. Special guests will include students who applied for the Investigative Journalism Award, the Jamaica Media Association, and the Press Association. The evening will conclude with presentation of the Student Investigative Journalism Award.

International Seminar: Access to Information: Building a Culture of Transparency

When: Thursday, June 8, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Where: Knutsford Court Hotel
Who: Carter Center experts, Minister of Information and Development Hon. Mr. Colin Campbell, and the Access to Information Stakeholders Committee.
What: A seminar featuring the launch of the third in a series of guidebooks on access to information in Jamaica, as well as presentations from a number of international and Jamaican experts. Experts will examine the development of an access to information framework in Jamaica and the reform process; assess the issues that have arisen in implementation and enforcement of the act in light of relevant international experiences; and consider emerging trends and next steps.

Volunteer Attorney Panel Final Training

When: Friday, June 9, 2-6 p.m.
Where: The Courtleigh Hotel
Who: Carter Center, Jamaica Bar Association, and the Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights experts.
What: A final training provided for Jamaican attorneys who volunteer to provide pro bono representation for persons denied access to information.

Biographies of International Experts

Richard Calland is the executive director of the Open Democracy Advice Centre in Cape Town, South Africa, and head of the Right to Know program at the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA). Calland has written and spoken extensively on the issue of access to information legislation and implementation, and in 2002 published the book "The Right to Know, The Right to Live: Access to Information."

Meredith Cook is a senior advisor in the Information and Policy Compliance team at the BBC. She advises on compliance and policy issues and delivers the Freedom of Information Act training program.

Kevin Dunion was appointed as the first Scottish information commissioner in February 2003. He has written extensively on Scottish politics, sustainability and environmental justice, including the right to environmental information.

Paula Edwards is the senior policy analyst responsible for the government implementation of freedom of information in Trinidad and Tobago.

Laura Neuman is the assistant director for the Americas Program at The Carter Center. She manages the Access to Information Project and directs and implements Carter Center transparency projects, including work in Jamaica, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Mali. Book and article publications include "Access to Information: A Key to Democracy" and "Using Freedom of Information Laws to Enforce Welfare Benefits Rights in the United States."

Alasdair Roberts is associate professor at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He is also director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute at Syracuse University and an honorary senior research fellow of the Constitution Unit, School of Public Policy, University College, London. He recently published the book "Blacked Out: Government Secrecy in the Information Age."

The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide. A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, the Center has helped to improve life for people in more than 65 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; improving mental health care; and teaching farmers to increase crop production. To learn more about The Carter Center, please visit: www.cartercenter.org