As part of a strategy that aims at strengthening
the public sector’s capacity to provide free
access to information for the public, AMAN and
in cooperation with MUWATIN had organized a
workshop to discuss a study on the Public’s
Rights to Information as Practiced by the
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).
The study considered the PCBS one of the most
advanced institutions in Palestine in providing
information to the public. The PCBS has shown
competency in managing records and handling
public requests. It recommended the PCBS to
continue its work towards updating its website
and issuing a detailed list that specify the
cases in which information should be kept
discreet to safeguard national security.
Participants at the workshop called on the
Palestinian Legislative Council to promptly
adopt the Freedom of Information Act and to
identify clear standards and criteria for
specifying which type of information is to be
banned from the public, by whom, and when.
This study comes as part of AMAN and MUWATIN’s
preparations for organizing a national
conference on the public’s right to free access
to information.
