CVs of Information Commissioners Worldwide

About Commissioners

freedom of information1 One could not argue that Freedom of information laws are only as good as the response mechanisms built into the laws themselves, and as good as the efficiency of the appeal procedures. If citizens cannot take an action to enforce their right of access being “shy” of filing a suit, or do not have enough financial resources to do that, FOI laws cannot serve as an active “pushing” system for more transparent government.

Therefore, in order to ensure a culture of openness and to give citizens a right to access to information, adequate and effective appeal mechanisms must be in place. Some appeal bodies or other institutions even have the power to fine public bodies or responsible officials in misdemeanour procedures for hindering the exercise of the right to access to information. Therefore, the administrations become accountable for the lack of openness or denying the individual his/her right to information and open government.

There are five systems of second-instance (appeal) decision-making when dealing with access to public information:

  • Appeal before the body which denied access to a document,
  • Higher Administrative bodies,
  • Court as an appeal body (directly) after the first level decision,
  • Ombudsman as a mediator,
  • Information Commissioner or Commissions

(author of this text: Nataša Pirc Musar)

Members of Information Commissioners' "community" are commissioners and ombudsmen.

Recommended reading:

CVs of ICs

Who are Information Commissioners in Africa?

Who are Information Commissioners in Asia?

Who are Information Commissioners in Central, South America & the Caribbean?

Cayman Islands

Jennifer Dilbert, MBE, JP,

Chile

Alejandro Ferreiro Yazigi, Curriculum Vitae

Who are Information Commissioners in Europe?

Austria
Ombudswoman Gertrude Brinek, Curriculum Vitae
Ombudswoman Terezija Stoisits, Curriculum Vitae
Ombudsman Peter Kostelka, Curriculum Vitae

Elmira Suleymanova

Azerbaijan

Elmira Suleymanova, Curriculum Vitae

Viljar Peep

Estonia

Viljar Peep, Ph.D,

Peter.Schaar


Germany, Federal

Peter Schaar, Curriculum Vitae

Foto Dix 2009 preview

Germany, Berlin

Dr. Alexander Dix, Curriculum Vitae

Macedonia

Pece Tashevski (President), Curriculum Vitae

Blerim Iseni (Vice President), Curriculum Vitae
Katerina Dimeska (Member), Curriculum Vitae
Marjanco Kolevski (Member), Curriculum Vitae
Boban Panovski (Member)

Scotland

Rosemary Agnew, Curriculum Vitae

Serbia

Rodoljub Šabić, Curriculum Vitae

Slovenia

Nataša Pirc Musar, Curriculum Vitae

Switzerland

Hanspeter Thür, Curriculum Vitae

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UK

Christopher Graham,

Who are Information Commissioners in North America?

Canada

Suzanne Legault, Curriculum Vitae

Canada , Ontario

Ann Cavoukian, Ph.D., Curriculum Vitae

Mexico

Jacqueline Peschard, Ph.D., Curriculum Vitae

Who are Information Commissioners in Oceania?

John McMillan online

Australia

Professor John McMillan AO, Curriculum Vitae

For ICs Only

FOI Quotes

"Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.” -- Louis D.…

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