The UN Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015 to act as a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. It is comprised of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Each is an indiscriminate and urgent call to action for all countries. Goal 16 focuses on peace, justice and strong institution:
Goal 16 Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
One of the targets under Goal 16 is directly related to the right to access information held by public authorities:
Target 16.10 Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms under national legislation and international agreements
This target recognizes the crucial role access to information plays in building strong, accountable institutions and ensuring government transparency. It also highlights the importance of the free circulation of information in society, allowing people to make more informed democratic choices and hold
their governments to account. To assess whether this target is met, the SDG process uses the following indicator:
Indicator 16.10.2: Number of countries that adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information
SDG Indicator 16.10.2 calls on states to adopt and implement RTI laws. This Methodology is a reliable and accepted system for measuring state progress in achieving the called for in Indicator 16.10.2.