International Conference of Commissioners/ Dervishi: Transparency must function as a real mechanism!
The Commissioner for the Right to Information and Personal Data Protection, Besnik Dervishi, is participating in the International Conference of Commissioners for the Right to Information (ICIC), which is taking place in Berlin from 23-25 June 2025.
This important international event brings together representatives of independent institutions, civil society organizations, and information rights experts from around the world to discuss key issues related to transparency, accountability, and citizens' access to public information.
The main theme of this year's edition is "Access to Environmental Information in the Digital Age", bringing to the forefront the importance of informing the public on environmental issues, at a time when technology and data play an increasingly important role in decision-making and civic awareness.
Commissioner Dervishi, in his welcoming speech at the start of the conference proceedings, in his capacity as Interim President of ICIC, emphasized that "the right to information is the oxygen of democracy that keeps accountability, civic participation and trust building alive."
In his speech, he emphasized that transparency should not remain a theoretical concept, but function as a real and sustainable mechanism to bring public institutions closer to citizens, especially in areas that directly affect daily life, such as the environment and public services.
While Prof. Dr. Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider, Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Germany mentioned in her speech the creation of ICIC in Berlin 22 years ago and pointed out the role of this organization.
"ICIC is a unique platform for exchanging ideas and experiences. The right to information faces threats and challenges, especially regarding environmental information, to which we need to provide specific solutions. We need to strengthen transparency and a sustainable future because the right to information is a basis for democracy and a catalyst for positive change, " said the German Commissioner.
The conference proceedings were also addressed by Ms. Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, State Secretary at the German Ministry of the Environment, and Guilherme Canela de Souza Godoi, Director of the Department for Digital Inclusion, UNESCO.
The senior official of the German Ministry of the Environment stated that “public authorities that produce and maintain environmental data and information have a responsibility to be more transparent and to publish this data in the most public-friendly way possible. The information should be simple, understandable and accessible to everyone.”
While the UNESCO representative noted that "we are living in an important, but not easy, moment, where the foundations of accountability institutions are under attack and this poses a threat to the very functioning of democracy. For democracy to function, independent and working authorities, a free media and an active civil society are required."
The conference program includes a series of thematic panels, many of which are held in parallel, addressing, among other things: the role of technology in improving transparency, the involvement of civil society, the challenges of Commissioners in ensuring access to environmental information, and the sharing of good practices among counterpart institutions.
The conference culminates with the closed session on June 25, where the election of the new ICIC Presidency and Secretariat for the period 2025–2027 will take place, a key moment for the leadership and strengthening of this global network, where Albania officially runs for the presidency of ICIC for a full 2-year mandate.
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