Civil service organisations, advocates call for Gov’t to review Access to Information Act
Addressed to Information Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon, the letter follows a Policy Roundtable convened in June 2026, where civil society organisations, drawing on independent monitoring and the Government’s reporting under the Open Government Partnership (OGP), examined the state of reform of the Access to Information Act and, what they say, is the urgent need for its modernisation.
Signatories include Jamaican’s for Justice, Fi We Children Foundation (FWCF), Freedom Imaginaries, and Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal (JAMP).
Noting that Section 38 of the ATI Act requires periodic review by a committee of both Houses of Parliament, the letter highlighted that the Act, last reviewed by a Joint Select Committee in 2011, has never been substantively amended.
“The recommendations of that Committee remain largely unimplemented almost 15 years later.
As you are aware, the OGP National Action Plan is a joint undertaking between the Government and civil society, carrying explicit commitments from both sides. The Government’s own progress reports candidly show that legislative reform of the ATI Act is among the areas with the least progress in the entire Action Plan. Almost every substantive milestone remains stalled because it depends on one key step that has not yet been taken: the establishment of the Joint Select Committee,” the letter said.
It pointed out that the committee was scheduled to be established between January and April 2025 and the draft amendment bill set for May to October 2025, stakeholder review slated for November 2025 to January 2026 and finalisation set for February to June 2026 have all been delayed because they are contingent on the committee.
The promised Advisory Committee for civil society engagement also remains unestablished it said.
“Successive ministers have repeatedly committed to fast-tracking reform. There have also been
repeated indications that the responsible ministry is awaiting comments from the Attorney General’s Chambers to inform a Cabinet submission on ATI reform,” the letter indicated.
It pointed to comments by Parliamentary Secretary Marlon Morgan at a public forum hosted by Jamaicans for Justice in January 2026 that reaffirmed the Government’s commitment and stated that Cabinet would decide on the best approach to reform.
“We welcome these stated commitments. However, they have not yet translated into legislative action. We commend the real non-legislative progress: training of over one hundred ATI Responsible Officers, sustained public education through Right to Know Week, and improved guidelines. These efforts are valuable, but they operate within an outdated legislative framework and cannot substitute for the comprehensive reform the system urgently needs,” the letter noted.
It stressed that independent monitoring by civil society organisations, including the media, have highlighted growing challenges: inconsistent compliance, response delays, an appeals mechanism that requires strengthening, and increasing misuse of data-privacy exemptions.
“The unresolved tension between the ATI Act and the Data Protection Act must be addressed in a modernised statute. Modernising the ATI Act would also better position Jamaica to ratify the Escazú Agreement, which Jamaica signed in 2019, by strengthening access to environmental information and public participation,” it said.
The signatories recommended that the Government establish without further delay, a new Joint Select Committee of Parliament to review the Access to Information Act, 2002, specifically requesting that it :
● be convened as a matter of priority at the earliest practicable sitting in the current
parliamentary session and in line with the Government’s stated intentions and OGP
commitments; receive submissions from the public, civil society, the ATI Unit, and other stakeholders;
● build on the 2011 Joint Select Committee report while updating its analysis to reflect current realities, including the Data Protection regime and international best practice; and
●be mandated to table reform proposals within a defined and publicly stated timeframe, enabling the drafting and passage of an amendment bill.
“We make this call in a spirit of partnership. The collaboration between Government and civil society on public education has been genuine and productive. We stand ready to support the committee’s work through submissions, monitoring data, and public engagement,” the letter said.
The signatories stressed that strengthening Jamaica’s Access to Information framework is ultimately about equipping citizens with the tools to understand and question the decisions made on their behalf.
“We urge the Government to match its repeated commitments with the one decisive step on which meaningful reform depends,” it said.
The list of signatories includes
Organisations: Advocates Network; AIDS Healthcare Foundation; Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVCC); Citizens’ Rights to the City (CRC); Council of Voluntary Social Services (CVSS); Countrystyle Community Tourism Network (CCTN); Equality for All Foundation Jamaica Ltd; Eve for Life; Fi We Children Foundation (FWCF); Freedom Imaginaries; Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal (JAMP); Jamaica Environment Trust (JET); Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN); Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ): Media Association of Jamaica; National Integrity Action (NIA); Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ); RJRGleaner Communications Group; Stand Up for Jamaica; Stronger Caribbean Together Network;
Individuals: Diana McCCaulay, environmental activist; Dr J Carolyn Gomes; Gary Allen, career journalist; Judith Wedderburn, women’s and human rights advocate; Professor Emeritus Trevor Munroe; Rev Peter Espeut, good governance campaigner and Susan Goffe, human rights advocate
