Sustainable Development Goals: DW Akademie and partners publish project report on the right to information

"Access to honest information is crucial to achieving the UN's sustainable development goals," says the economist Jeffrey Sachs. As the UN Secretary-General's advisor on sustainable development, he addresses the fact that participation, justice and peace can only be achieved with free media. This point is often neglected when considering the overall view of the UN's development agenda.

Sachs spoke at an annual event held in connection to the UN High Level Political Forum. In this meeting, the status of the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is discussed. One of the SDGs calls for free access to information for all people.

Better understanding of the right to information

DW Akademie helps partner organizations in five countries achieve this goal. The pilot project was presented at various side events at the UN Forum in New York. DW Akademie brings together key actors from Indonesia, Mongolia, South Africa, Pakistan and Serbia to the table to examine the challenges of access to information. The aim is to promote awareness and a greater understanding of the importance of the right to information –not only for governments, but also NGOs, the media and academics.

"Relevant educational approaches dry up, economic opportunities remain untapped and start-ups fail when free access to information is not guaranteed," states Gerwin de Roy, a DW Akademie project manager.

An indirect goal of the pilot project, run jointly by Free Press Unlimited and the Global Forum for Media Development, is to incorporate the results of the multi-stakeholder meetings into the Voluntary National Reviews. The reviews are voluntary national reports put together by UN member states on the implementation status of the SDGs. Two reports have been submitted to date.

Read the project report here: Road to 2030: Access to Information in the Driver's Seat

For more information on the implementation status of the objectives set on Oct. 16, read this DW Akademie article on the #mediadev page.