ICIC-IDUAI 2026 Programme - updated 26-9-2026

DATES
28-30 September 2026

LOCATION
Freetown, Sierra Leone

VENUE
Julius Maada Bio International Conference Centre, Lungi

27 September 2026

18:00 21:00

Welcome cocktail hosted by UNESCO in cooperation with the Ministry of Information & Civic Education of Sierra Leone and the Right to Access Information Commission of Sierra Leone. It will be open with welcome remarks from UNESCO, ICIC and host-country representatives

Venue: LIA Hotel, Lungi

Day 1 - 28 September 2026 – This Day is organized by UNESCO in collaboration with RAIC-SL and ICIC

08:30-09:00

Registration of participants and welcome tea

Master of Ceremony: Ms Josephine Kamara, Director General of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC)

09:00-09:15

Handing-over ceremony

·   Mr Andreas Hartl, Federal Deputy Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Germany (2025 ICIC Host)

·   Ms Krizia Casey P Avejar, Programme Manager, Freedom of Information, President’s Office, Philippines (2025 IDUAI Host)

·   Dr Ibrahim Seaga Shaw, Chairman/Information Commissioner, Sierra Leone (ICIC-IDUAI 2026 Host)

09:15-09:30

Welcome statements

·         Mr Besnik Dervishi, Chair of the International Conference of Information Commissioners and Information Commissioner, Albania

·         Hon Chernor Bah, Minister of Information and Civic Education, Sierra Leone

·         Ms Mariya Gabriel, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, UNESCO

09:30-10:30

High-Level Plenary Panel

Moderator: Marius Lukosiunas, Chief, Section of Universal Access to Information, UNESCO

Rapporteur, Mfana Victor Gwara, Information Regulator South Africa

·         Ms Serafina Wakana, UN Resident Coordinator, Sierra Leone

·         Dr Ismaila Ceesay, Minister of Information, The Gambia

·         Mr Guilherme Canela de Souza Godoi, Director, Division for Digital Inclusion, Policies and Transformation, UNESCO

·         Ms Livia Oliveira Sobota, National Secretary for Transparency and Access to Information, Office of the Comptroller General, Brazil

·         Hon Justice Jamestina Essie Leonora King, Acting Chief Justice, Judiciary of Sierra Leone

10:30-10:45

ICIC/UNESCO MoU signing ceremony

Attended by Ms Mariya Gabriel, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, UNESCO, and Besnik Dervishi, ICIC Chair and Information Commissioner, Albania

10:45-11:00

Official opening

HE Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone

11:00-11:10

Official photo opportunity with HE the Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone

11:10-11:30

Tea/Coffee Break

11:30-12:30

Plenary Panel 1: How timely, reliable official information can strengthen the information environment and counter information disorder

Moderator: Mr Toby Mendel, Centre for Law and Democracy, Canada

Rapporteur: Sabrina Anya Feliciano, Freedom of Information, President’s Communication Office, The Philippines

·         Ms Caroline Maynard, Information Commissioner, Canada

·         Ms Dorothy Jemator, Information Commissioner, Kenya

·         Mr Rodrigo Fontenelle de Araújo Miranda, General Comptroller of the State of São Paulo, Brazil

·         Ms Elizabeth Adhiambo Orembo, International Engagement Lead, Research ICT Africa, Kenya

·         Mr Andreas Hartl, Deputy German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information

12:30-13:30

Lunch

14:30- 14:40

Keynote address

Dr Stuart Russell, Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Centre for Human-Compatible AI, University of California, Berkeley, United Kingdom(online)

14:40-15:15

Panel 3 - Fire Side Chat: Stress Test on Freedom of Information

Rapporteur, Marie Nde Sene Ep Ahouantched, ECOWAS COMMISSION, Abuja, Nigeria

·         Mr Toby Mendel, Centre for Law and Democracy, Canada

·         Ms Nompilo Simanje, Africa Programme Lead, International Press Institute, South Africa

Session note: The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) and UNESCO will report on a Global Right to Information (RTI) Stress Test, assessing how access to information laws function in practice The exercise involved submitting identical information requests to public authorities in 120 countries with RTI laws and measuring institutional responses

15:15-1615     Panel 4 - Parallel Sessions

Parallel Session 1: Technological advancements in support of good record-keeping practices and proactive disclosure as enablers of credible information access

Moderator: Mr Muniru Kawa, Country coordinator, CGA, Sierra Leone

Rapporteur: Alice A. Kamara, Deputy Director, Legal and Policy, MOICE, SL

Speakers:

·         Dr Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, Faculty Of Law, FBC, USL

·         Ms Marie Whellan, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

·         Datuk Zamri Bin Misman, Director General, Legal Affairs Division, Prime Minister’s Office, Malaysia

·         Prof Olunifesi Adekunle SURAJ, PhD, University of Lagos, Nigeria

·         Mr Valmir Gomes Dias, General Ombudsman of the State of São Paulo, Brazil

·         Dr Tetyana Oleksiyuk, Vice-President, Access Info Group under the Tromso Convention, Ukraine,

Parallel Session 2: Media and Information Literacy as an Enabler of the Right of Access to Credible Information

Moderator: Joshua Nicol, Head of Department, Media and Journalism, FBC, USL

Rapporteur: Mr Elvis Michel Kenmoe, West Africa Advisor for Communication and Information, UNESCO Regional Office in Dakar, UNESCO

Speakers:

·         Ms Sharon Adetutu Omotoso, Director, MIL Category 2 Institute, Nigeria

·         Ahmed Musid, Director General, Right to Information Commission, Maldives

·         Ms Elvana Thaçi, Head of the Tromso Convention Unit, Council of Europe (online)

·         Dr Tonya Musa, Lecturer and Director of Communication, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone

·         Ms Catherine Mackie, Learning manager, Thomson Foundation, United Kingdom(online)

·         Yeama Thompson, Director General, Sierra Leone News Agency (online)

Parallel Session 3: Access to Information, Public Interest Data and Information Integrity in West Africa: One Year After Praia, Cabo Verde

Moderator: Genevieve Shirley Lartey, Esq, Executive Secretary/Commissioner, Right to Information Commission, Ghana

Rapporteur: Dzuliatu Hamid, National Council For Civic Education and Democracy, Sierra Leone

Speakers:

·         Mr Francis Ezekiel, ECOWAS Commission, Abuja, Nigeria

·         Mr Alfred Bulakali, Regional Director, Article 19 West Africa, Dakar, Senegal

·         Mr Mahamadou Talata Maiga, Journalist and Manager of Maison de la Presse, Mali

·         Ms Jaiteh Bintou, Human Rights Officer, National Human Rights Commission, The Gambia

·         Mr Taweh Johnson, Executive Director, Campaigners Against Misinformation and Disinformation, Liberia

Parallel Session 4: Access to Credible Environmental Data for Climate Resilience and Humanitarian Response

Moderator: Moderator, Toby Mendel, Centre for Law and Democracy, Canada.

Rapporteur: Ms Hadjan Doucouré, Consulant, Section of Universal Access to Information, UNESCO

Speakers:

·         Ms Nompilo Simanje, Africa Programme Lead, International Press Institute (IPI)

·         Mr Andreas Hartl, Deputy Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Germany

·         Mr Guilherme Canela de Souza Godoi, Director, Division for Digital Inclusion, Policies and Transformation, UNESCO

·         Ms Sarah Wesonga, Programme Manager, Freedom of Expression and Information Integrity, Article 19 East Africa

Parallel Session 5: Credible Data as a Catalyst for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Moderator: Mr Almamy Lahai Kamara, Chief Director, MOICE, SL

Rapporteur: Deshala Bhoopal, Telangana State Information Commission, Hyderabad, India

Speakers

·         Ms Kenyeh Barlay, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Sierra Leone

·         Mr Frederick Ampiah, UNDP Country Representative, Sierra Leone (TBC)

·         Ms Anne Marie Konan Payne, Information Commissionner, Côte d'Ivoire

·         Ms Sabrina Aliyeva, Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman), Azerbaijan(online)

·         Dr James Edwin, Director General, National Monitoring and Evaluation Agency (NAMEA), Sierra Leone

·         Dr Ngo Sheau Shi, Senior Lecturer, University Sains, Malaysia

16:15-16:35

Tea Break

16:35-16:50

Feedback from parallel sessions

Chief Rapporteur: Mr Elvis Michel Kenmoe, West Africa Advisor for Communication and Information, UNESCO Regional Office in Dakar, Senegal

16:50-17:50

Plenary Panel 5: New initiatives to strengthen ATI: Pretoria’s Proposition for Action and AU African Guidelines for Access to Data

Moderator: Mr Gilbert Sendugwa, Africa Freedom of Information Network

Rapporteur: Azril Bin Wanchik. Head,  Trust Regulator, Policy and Research Section,  Legal Affairs Section,Prime Minister’s Office, Malaysia

Speakers:

·         Ms Pansy Tlakula, Chairperson of the Information Regulator, South Africa

·         Hon Commissioner Ourveena Geereesha Topsy-Sonoo, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Mauritius (online)

·         Mr Nadiack Wane, Director of Digital Transformation and International Cooperation at the National Audiovisual Regulatory Council, Senegal

·         Prof. Olunifesi Adekunle Suraj, Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Nigeria

·         Dr Emmanuel Gaima, Executive Adviser to the President and Head of Public Sector Reform, Sierra Leone

19:30-21:30

Dinner to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the UNESCO Information for All Programme (IFAP)

·         The dinner will also mark the inscription of the Swedish Freedom of the Press Ordinance of 1766 on the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register as the world’s first legislation guaranteeing the free communication of information

·         The dinner will open with welcome remarks of Ms Mariya Gabriel, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information and HE Helena Sångeland, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sweden to the OECD and UNESCO

Days 2 and 3 of the Conference are organized by the International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC), with the support of UNESCO The program largely follows the agenda of the 2026 ICIC Summit and includes the participation of UNESCO, ICIC, civil society organizations and other relevant stakeholders

Day 2 - 29 September 2026  -  Organized by ICIC

08:45-09:15

Registration of participants and welcome tea

09:15-09:45

Keynote address by Professor David Cuillier, University of Florida, United States

09:45-11:00

Plenary Panel 1: Global Best Practices for Ensuring that Access to Information Can Contribute to Upholding and Safeguarding Information Integrity

Moderator: Mr Elvis Michel Kenmoe, West Africa Advisor for Communication and Information, UNESCO Regional Office in Dakar, Senegal

Rapporteur: Paul Mutch, Scottish Information Commission, UK

Speakers:

·         Mr David Hamilton, Information Commissioner, Scotland, United Kingdom

·         Ms Genevieve Shirley Lartey, Executive Secretary/Commissioner, Right to Information Commission, Ghana

·         Ms Elizabet Rosana Diaz Valerio de Oviedo, Information Commissioner, Dominican Republic

·         Mr Gopidi Chendrashekar Reddy, Chief Information Commiissioner, Telengana State, India

·         Dr Francis Sowa, Media Reform Coordinating Group, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone

11:00-11:30

Tea/Coffee Break

11:30-13:00

Plenary Panel 2: Access to Credible Data for Open Government and Public Sector Reform

Moderator: Mr Sulaiman Phoray Musa, Director, Public Sector Reform Unit, Sierra Leone

Speakers:

·         Ms Jeanette Van Den Bulk, Deputy Information and Privacy Commissioner, British Columbia, Canada

·         Anjali Bhardwaj Sharma, Co-Convener, National Campaign For People’s Right to Information, India

·         Ms Carina Paju, Senior Regional Coordinator for Europe and Lead for the Proactive Disclosure Coalition, Open Government Partnership, Estonia

·         Ms Alice Linacre PSM, Freedom of Information Commissioner, Australia (online)

·         Mr Joseph Munda Bindi, Chairman, National Council for Civic Education and Development, Sierra Leone

13:00-14:00

Lunch

14:00-15:15

Plenary Panel 3: The Challenges of Information Disorder in Africa: Whither Information Integrity?

Panel hosted by the African Network of Information Commissioners (ANIC) in partnership with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

Moderator: Mr Winston Chafikana Juma Mwafulirwa, Human Rights Commission, Malawi

Rapporteur: Eric Ndungu, Media Council of Kenya

Speakers:

·         Ms Pansy Tlakula, Chairperson, ANIC / Information Regulator, South Africa

·         Hon Commissioner Ourveena Geereesha Topsy-Sonoo, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

·         Mr Omar Seghrouchni, President of Data Protection and Access to Information, Kingdom of Morocco (online)

·         Ms Anne Marie Konan Payne, Information Commissioner, Côte d’Ivoire

·         Ms Neneh Gaye, Chairperson/Commissioner, Right to Access Information, The Gambia

·         Mr Charles Keif Kobai, Executive Director, FORWARD, Sierra Leone

15:15-16:00

Parallel Panels

Parallel Session 1: Gender, Youth and Disability - How Inequitable Access Fuels Information Disorder

Moderator: Alfred Bulakali, Directeur régional, ARTICLE 19 Sénégal et Afrique de l’Ouest, Senegal

Rapporteur: Matu Bendu, Open Data and Records Officer, RAIC, Sierra Leone

Speaker

·         Dr Isata Mahoi, Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Sierra Leone

·         Ms Laura Neuman, Senior Advisor, Office of the Vice-President for Peace Programs, The Carter Center, United States

·         Maria Tanivet Ramos Reyes, Head of Transparencia Para El Pueblo, (TPP), Mexico

·         Mr Joash T Hodges, Information Commissioner, Liberia

·         Mr Margaret-Jah Maturi, Sierra Leone’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Paris (online)

·         Aneudy Berliza Leyba, Ministry of External Affairs, Dominican Republic

Parallel Session 2: Youth Leadership and Digital Community Spaces in Promoting Information Integrity

Moderator: Ahmed G. Kallon, Commissioner, Eastern Region, RAIC, Sierra Leone

Rapporteur: Amara Thoronka, Public Information and Communication Officer, RAIC, Sierra Leone

Speakers:

·         Ms Eleanor Thompson, Citizens Barray, Sierra Leone

·         Amrita Johri, Advocate, National Campaign For People’s Right to Information, India

·         Ms Krizia Casey P Avejar, Chief, Communications and Capacity Development Division, Freedom of Information Program Management Office, The Philippines

·         Mr Gilbert Sendugwa, Africa Freedom of Information Centre, Kampala, Uganda

·         Ms Krenare Sogojeva Dermaku,Information Commissioner, Kosovo (online)

Parallel Session 3: Balancing the Right to Information and the Right to Privacy/Data Protection in the Context of Beneficial Ownership Transparency

Moderator and Host: Adam Foldes, Transparency International, Germany

Rapporteur: Mr Jaward Nyallay, Ministry of Information and Civic Education

Speakers:

·         Dr Tetyana Oleksiyuk, Vice-President, Access Info Group under the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents, Ukraine, (online)

·         Dorothy Jemator, information Commissioner, Commission for Administrative Justice, Kenya

·         Francis Ben Kelfela, Commissioner, Anti-Corruption Commission, Sierra Leone

·         Dr Cyryl T Foday Keilli, Principal Consultant, Founder, Axiom Risk Group, USA/Sierra Leone

·         Anjali Bhardwaj Sharma, Co-Convener, National Campaign For People’s Right To Information, India

·         Osie Manu Kagyah, African Alliance For Access to Data, Ghana

Parallel Session 4: Access to Fisheries Management Information - A Multi-Stakeholder Approach

Moderator: Abdul Fatoma, Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHIRDI)

Rapporteur: Claudia Redwood Sawyer, MOICE, Sierra Leone

Speakers:

·         Dr Godfred Ameyaw Asiedu, Fisheries Transparency Initiative, West Africa

·         Mr Andreas Hartl, Deputy Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Germany

·         Mr Sheku Sei, Director of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Sierra Leone

·         Dr Nwamaka-Okeke Ugbuafor, Lecturer, University of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom (online)

Parallel Session 5: Upholding Integrity of Accountability Information: The Role of Multistakeholder Collaboration

Moderator and Host: Paul Banoba, Africa Regional Advisor, Transparency International’s Secretariat

Rapporteur: Edward Koroma, Executive Director, Transparency International, Sierra Leone

Speakers:

·         Dr Fabrice Ebeh, Anti-Corruption Development Policy Expert, Togo

·         Ms Lilian Zawedde, Programme Manager, Transparency International, Uganda

·         Mr Nervious Himabala Legal Associate, Transparency International, Zambia

·         Mr Christian Mounzeo, Executive Director, Rencontre pour la Paix et les Droits de l'Homme (RPDH), Republic of Congo

·         Ms Sarah Wesonga, Regional Coordinator, Article 19, East Africa, Kenya

16:00-16:15

Plenary Panel 4: Feedback from Parallel Sessions

Chief Rapporteur: Dr Emmanuel Gaima, Executive Adviser to the President and Head of Public Sector Reform

16:15-16:35

Tea/Coffee Break

16:35-16:40:

Caroline Maynard, Information Commissioner, Canada (ICIC 2027 Host presentation

16:35-17:30 

Session 5 - Parallel Regional Meetings

African Network

Asian Network

European Network / ENTRI

Ibero-American Transparency and Access to Information Network

North American Network

Oceania - Australia Network

17:30-18:00

Session 6 - Plenary: Adoption of the Freetown ICIC/IDUAI Joint Declaration on Access to Information as a Pillar of Information Integrity and Closing Remarks

Moderators: Dr Ibrahim Seaga Shaw (RAIC-SL) and Marius Lukosiunas (UNESCO-Paris)

Advocate Pansy Tlakula, ANIC Chairperson: Launching of the African Network of Information Commissions’ Records Management Training Manual For Africa

Closing remarks by

·         Mr Besnik Dervishi, ICIC Chair and Information Commissioner, Albania

·         Ms Mariya Gabriel, Assistant Director General, Information and Communication, UNESCO

·         .Dr David Sengeh, Chief Minister, Sierra Leone

19:00-20:30

Dinner, Live Band, and cultural gala hosted by RAIC-SL

Day 3 - 30 September 2026

Closed Administrative Meeting Organized by ICIC, NGO/CSO Meeting organized by Toby Mendel of the Centre For Law and Democracy and The Access to Information CSO Coalition in Sierra Leone Led by Mr Charles Keif Kobai of FORWARD Sierra Leone, and Side Event/Workshop hosted by UNESCO West Africa Regional office in Dakar, Senegal

09:30-13:00  Parallel Meetings

Closed ICIC Administrative Meeting

More planning information to follow

Closed NGO/CSO Meeting

In parallel More planning information to follow

Side Event/Workshop: Technical Consultation on Advancing Information Integrity in West Africa -From Praia Model  Policy Framework To Regional Instrument hosted by  UNESCO West Africa Regional Office in Dakar, Senegal

13:00-14:30

Lunch

Afternoon

Excursions to three sites

•       Bunce Island

•       Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary

•       Peace Museum