The event will take place virtually on Thursday 24 September 2020 between 14:00 and 15:30.

It will be part of global celebrations of ‘International Right to Know day’, promoted by UNESCO, and will feature keynote speeches from Toby Mendel and Laura Notess from the Centre for Law and Democracy.

The focus for the event this year is on the right to information in times of crisis and on the advantages of having constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information to save lives, build trust and help the formulation of sustainable policies through and beyond the COVID-19 crisis.

The keynote speakers will report on their COVID-19 tracker detailing the global response to these ‘right to know’ laws, including in Scotland.

Participants will also hear updates from the Scottish government, the Scottish information commissioner, the UK information commissioner’s office, and from Dr David Goldberg who will explain how the Tromso Convention will open up opportunities to access information in Scotland.

SPIF is organised twice a year to enable rights holders and duty bearers to meet and discuss access to information in Scotland and consider how relevant laws are operating.

The online event is free and members of the public are welcome. More information and registration for the event can be found here.