On May 24, 2006 Civil Society 28 Organisations meeting in Manchester on the occasion of the 4th International Conference of Information Commissioners adopted Manchester Declaration on Access to Information.

Manchester Declaration on Access to Information

• recall the Cancún Declaration that affirms that access to information is a fundamental right and an essential condition for democratic governance, accountability, the development of participatory democracy and economic development;
• call on governments to respect the right of access to information in line with international law and best practice;
• note with concern the increasing tendency to view access to information as a threat to public safety and security, and affirm that access to information is essential for protection of other human rights and contributes to social stability and security;
• recognise the crucial role played by information commissioners and similar independent oversight bodies, which should be sufficiently and sustainably resourced;
• affirm the importance of cooperation between civil society and information commissioners as essential for implementation of access to information laws. However, civil society should continue to play its watchdog role, including monitoring the implementation of national laws as well as the performance of information commissioners.
• note the value of access to information in the fight against corruption, as recognised by international treaties. In particular we urge all countries to sign and ratify the UN Anti-Corruption Convention, which requires States Parties to adopt measures that guarantee access to information;
• reiterate that the right of access to information should apply in full to all international organisations.