Locations‘Transformation journey for the Pacific’ – Innovative Right To Information e-course launched
July 26, 2023
The RTI e-course will enable USP students and everyone to register for an easy-to-access course and gain in-depth knowledge of RTI and its importance in the Pacific and beyond.
Suva, Fiji: The first-ever online course and resources to strengthen the knowledge of the Right to Information (RTI) in the Pacific have been made available by the University of the South Pacific (USP). The RTI e-course was launched and introduced to the public today at the USP ICT Lecture Thatre, Laucala campus, Fiji. This marks a significant milestone in the anti-corruption efforts in the education sector at the regional level supported under the Pacific Anti-Corruption Project, which is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and funded by the Government of the United Kingdom.
Based on expert contributions and extensive stakeholder consultations, and applying design thinking methodology, the RTI e-course has been developed by the School of Information Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Physics (STEMP) of USP in partnership with UNDP.
The RTI e-course will enable USP students and everyone to register for an easy-to-access course and gain in-depth knowledge of RTI and its importance in the Pacific and beyond. A pilot and consultations on the RTI e-course and tools were conducted prior to the launch which gathered useful feedback from students and wider potential beneficiaries and provided further insights for the development of the tools.
Professor Jito Vanualailai, the USP Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice President (Education) commended the development of the innovative RTI e-course which is an online course developed by USP with high expectations for educational contribution to the advancement of RTI in wider society. “This online RTI course has a potential to serve the long-term purpose of continued education and awareness raising among the Pacific students, inspiring them to further research, promote, and exercise RTI, as a powerful tool in the fight against corruption,” said Professor Vanualailai.
The RTI is an essential component of democracy, enabling citizens to hold their governments transparent and accountable to combat corruption. It also enables businesses and investors to make well-informed decisions based on accurate and up-to-date information about market conditions, regulations, and government policies.
His Excellency Dr Brian Jones, the British High Commissioner to Fiji, said access to information empowers people to build a transparent and accountable Blue Pacific.
His Excellency Dr Brian Jones, the British High Commissioner to Fiji said, “We congratulate the University of the South Pacific for the creation of this innovative tool that will allow students from across the region to gain access to Right to Information knowledge gathered over the implementation of the Pacific Anti-Corruption Project. Access to information empowers people to build a transparent and accountable Blue Pacific. We are delighted to see this progress through our partnership with USP and UNDP, which was built on the common ambition of strengthening RTI and anti-corruption efforts in the region”.
RTI is an integral component of the right to freedom of expression, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Additionally, the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) references RTI as a necessary component in the fight against corruption (notably in articles 5 and 10), and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 includes the target of ensuring public access to information in accordance with national legislation and international agreements. In the Pacific, the regional anti-corruption commitments, including, the Teieniwa Vision , promote the critical role of the RTI.
Ms Yemesrach Workie, UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji Deputy Resident Representative said in her remarks, “We recognize the importance of education and the force of academia and youth to drive and sustain the RTI agenda as part of the broader anti-corruption agenda. We commend the ambitions of the RTI e-course, promoting the critical role of RTI in increasing government transparency and accountability, and combating corruption, which helps build trust between citizens and their government, promoting openness and honesty, which leads to increased public confidence in democratic institutions. The course will ensure sustainability of efforts and will allow USP to spread the knowledge further among Pacific youth.”
As part of its RTI work, USP also presented a range of new resource products which will help document, codify, and sustain the knowledge and experience of their RTI journey, including a right to information digital portal (a web site and a mobile application) as well as a Pacific take on the design thinking methodology based on the consultations with youth.
RTI e-resource (log in to start)
RTI digital portal mobile application can be downloaded for Android and iOS.
For further media enquiries please contact:
Dr. Bibhya Sharma, USP RTI Coordinator; USP STEMP | Email: bibhya.sharma@usp.ac.fj | Phone: +679 32069
Tomoko Kashiwazaki, Communications and Advocacy; UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji | Email: tomoko.kashiwazaki@undp.org | Phone: +679 331 2500
