The International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) 2026 celebration saw UNESCO’s Information for All Programme (IFAP) announce the establishment of Sierra Leone’s National Committee.
As outlined in the IFAP Manual of Operations, National Committees help translate the Programme’s global priorities into national contexts, while enabling countries to share experience, expertise and good practices through the IFAP community. The establishment of the Sierra Leone National Committee represents an important step in strengthening national engagement with IFAP and in advancing the country’s work on IFAP’s priorities.
Established in 2001, IFAP promotes inclusive and equitable Knowledge Societies through: information for development, information literacy, information preservation, information ethics, information accessibility and multilingualism.
The establishment of Sierra Leone’s National Committee is set against the backdrop of the global IDUAI conference, jointly organized by UNESCO and the Government of Sierra Leone, on 28 September 2026, held under the theme “Upholding Information Integrity in the Digital Age: The Role of Access to Information in Addressing Information Disorder.”
The 2026 observance held particular significance for UNESCO’s Information for All Programme (IFAP), which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, which provides an opportunity to reflect on the Programme’s role in addressing the emerging challenges facing information societies. As part of this milestone, IFAP has launched three regional initiatives to advance its priorities.
Guilherme Canela de Souza Godoi
UNESCO
Guilherme Canela de Souza Godoi, Director of UNESCO’s Division for Digital Inclusion, Policies and Digital Transformation and IFAP Secretary, emphasized that access to reliable information and information integrity are increasingly interconnected in the digital age, particularly as AI and digital platforms reshape how information is produced, accessed and shared. These challenges lie at the heart of IFAP’s mission, which set the tone for the delegates from 41 countries participating in the event.
Across the IDUAI programme, discussions addressed reliable public information, proactive disclosure, environmental information, public-interest data and the role of technology in strengthening information systems. Participants also considered emerging initiatives such as the African Union Guidelines on Access to Data. In an increasingly digital and AI-driven environment, information must not only be available but also accurate, accessible, timely and trustworthy, linking the right to information with the broader goal of building inclusive and resilient Knowledge Societies.
The successful conference demonstrated the value of sustained cooperation between governments, independent oversight institutions and international partners in advancing universal access to information worldwide.
Proclaimed by UNESCO in 2015 and subsequently recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in 2019, IDUAI has become an important occasion to reaffirm the right to seek, receive and impart information.
Source: Sierra Leone establishes its National Committee for Information for