Partners for Democratic Changes Serbia (Partners Serbia) and Transparency Serbia invite you to the Conference "Transparency on the Agenda: Access to Information, the Fight Against Corruption, and the Openness of the Judiciary." The event will be organized on September 27, 2023, at the premises of the Open Society Foundation Serbia (Resavska 22, in Belgrade). The conference will be held from 11:00 AM until 3:00 PM, in recognition of International Right to Know Day.

The event will consist of two panels dedicated to the policy of openness and transparency of public authorities in Serbia and the region.

In the first panel, participants will discuss the challenges in exercising the right to access information of public importance and the importance of transparency in preventing and fighting corruption. The panel's focus will be on the new Strategy for the Fight Against Corruption, GRECO recommendations related to improving the right to access information of public importance, as well as other strategic documents and initiatives related to enhancing transparency in the work of public authorities. During the panel, regional research on the state of transparency and openness of public authorities in Serbia and the countries of the region will be presented. Representatives of the civil sector from Serbia and the region, as well as relevant ministries in the Government of Serbia, will participate in the panel.

The second panel will focus on the importance of judicial transparency for access to justice and strengthening citizens' trust in the work of the judiciary. During the second panel, we will discuss the state of transparency of judicial bodies in relation to the media and the judiciary, the role of newly formed judicial bodies in ensuring more transparent work, and judicial reform as an opportunity to improve transparency in the work of judicial bodies and facilitate access to justice for citizens. The panel will also present the results of research on the state of transparency and openness of judicial bodies in Serbia. Representatives of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, investigative media, civil sector and professional associations will participate in the panel.

The event is organized in cooperation with the Coalition for Freedom of Access to Information, with the support of the Bureau for the International Fight Against Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL), the European Union, and the Open Society Foundation Serbia.

Participants will be representatives of parliamentary groups and parliamentary committees, independent institutions, the public and civil sectors, and the media.

In the coming days you will receive the draft programme of the event.

Please confirm your arrival by September 22, 2023. Registration for the event can be done by clicking on the following LINK, or by sending the confirmation to the following email address: office@partners-serbia.org

 

We hope that you will be able to respond to our invitation, and we stay at your disposal for any additional information.