A new Accountable Infrastructure Project has just kicked off on the margins of the International Day for Universal Access to Information – and the timing could not be more fitting.

Marked each year on 28 September, the International Day for Universal Access to Information comes at a time when civil society organisations (CSOs) worldwide continue to face a persistent challenge: securing the information they need to hold governments to account.

Last week, Transparency International (TI) Australia brought together our partners in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Kenya, and Zambia to prepare for carrying out corruption risk assessments in major public infrastructure projects in their countries. Such projects have the potential to transform communities, but they also carry significant risks. When information about how projects are selected and implemented is withheld, CSOs are left unable to effectively monitor progress or support governments in safeguarding public resources.

 

For many CSOs, access to information remains anything but straightforward:

• Key documents are often not published at all or published too late.
• Data that is released may be incomplete, unreliable, or outdated.
• Information requests can be delayed or obstructed until it is too late to act.
• Technical language and complex formats make information inaccessible to the public.

At last week’s project kick-off meeting, participants reflected on their country contexts within which this new project will operate. They cited examples of red flags such as politicians fast-tracking project approvals, inflated contract prices, and misplaced priorities. In many cases, project appraisals were skipped or rushed, and information on how projects were selected was either limited or absent. Some participants also observed that evidence of improper project selection processes often only emerged once projects were underway, or that understanding at times relied on key informants rather than publicly available documents. Together, we reaffirmed the importance of investing in strategies to close information gaps to ensure that assessments generate a credible evidence base—one capable of engaging policy makers and the public, and of strengthening the case for meaningful reform.

On this year’s International Day for Universal Access to Information, we echo a crucial reminder: without timely, reliable, and accessible information, citizens are excluded from decisions that directly affect their lives – and public resources remain vulnerable to misuse and waste.

Access to information is not just a right. It is the foundation of accountability.