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OSCE helps promote the Freedom of Access to Information Act in Bosnia and Herzegovina

BRATUNAC 15 October 2004

BRATUNAC, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 15 October 2004 - The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina today issued the following statement:

"Following OSCE recommendations, the Bratunac Municipality adopted a draft Code of Ethics on 16 September 2004.

The Code of Ethics has been presented in over 25 municipalities in the Tuzla area, allowing citizens and local authorities to become better familiarized with rules governing the ethical behavior of public officials.

In addition, for the past year, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina has been working with various municipalities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina on implementing the Freedom of Access to Information Act (FOIA). The project has been presented in 37 municipalities in the Tuzla region, prompting many of them to develop citizens' guides to their administrations.

Starting this week, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina will be distributing 45,000 copies of a leaflet on this topic throughout the country, to municipal authorities/information officers and non-governmental organizations. The leaflet gives a short explanation of the law and provides brief answers to questions such as:

- What kind of information can you request? - Who is obliged to provide you with the information? - What if your personal information held by a public authority is incorrect? It is hoped that through this leaflet, as well as the roundtables, we are helping to promote a greater understanding about FOIA, and thereby providing an invaluable tool for citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Passed in July 2001, the Act regulates access to information held by public authorities in order for the public to have access to such information, promoting greater transparency and accountability of elected officials.

Our Mission has been working with municipal governments to inform citizens how this Act works, so they can understand what information and how they can access information held by local government."